One of those who initiated the so-called Gluas light rail project for Galway has said it was his belief it would be 10 years before the project was delivered – and that it would be a bonus if it did happen.

City businessman, Brendan Holland, who has been Chairman of the Gluas project for almost 20 years, said it would be a huge achievement if the light rail project was delivered within the next decade.

Mr Holland told The City Tribune that the findings of the feasibility study on the light rail system were to be welcomed but he was cautious about the project’s timeframe.

“We are now dealing with politics, ego and planning when it comes to this project, which is a pity as it would take cars off the road and free up the city for business.

“It is just a sensible solution to traffic in the city. We need a park and ride solution to both sides of the city and it will be utilised, believe me,” Mr Holland added.

The National Transport Authority study found that the focus for a light rail corridor should be between Knocknacarra in the west of Galway City to Roscam in the east, with potential longer-term onward connections.

However, these route options were preliminary and would need to be explored further following any decision to progress the light rail system locally.

The study found that an annual demand of around 7.5 million passengers could be achieved on this corridor by 2043.

It was also estimated that the Gluas could result in a 10% reduction in car trips. And it was noted that there could also be potential to justify a light rail system in the shorter term.

The total estimate for the so-called Gluas is between €1.23 billion and €1.34 billion.

The total route length is around 14 kilometres, costing around approximately €80 million to €90 million per kilometre. This figure includes the costs of the depot, purchase of trams, indicative allowance for land costs and a 30% to 44% contingency in anticipation of rising construction costs.

While the study acknowledges that this “appears to be a very high cost”, it adds that this figure is “based on the expectation of major highway works, particularly outside the city centre, to provide sufficient levels of segregation to ensure reliability of services”.

Mr Holland said that his group would be pressing for a political commitment to the project and he hoped that it would be an issue on the doorsteps in advance of the forthcoming general election.

He said that it was a vital piece of infrastructure but accepted that it would not be coming “anytime soon”.

Pictured: Brendan Holland: Hoping Gluas will be an issue on the doorstep for the upcoming election.