A planning application to advance twin-tracking at Oranmore Train Station is to be submitted “in the next couple of weeks”.

Director of Services Liam Hanrahan confirmed the news at the Annual General Meeting of the Athenry-Oranmore Municipal District on Tuesday.

“In Oranmore, under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, we will have an application for the train station and carpark,” he said of major infrastructural projects that will advance within the Council’s new five-year term.

“There should be a planning application lodged in the next couple of weeks for the double-tracking element. That will be followed in the future by an application to build a multi-storey carpark,” said Mr Hanrahan.

The €12 million plans for Oranmore Station include for a second platform and a one-kilometre long ‘passing loop’ to facilitate additional capacity on the Athenry to Galway commuter route – and to avoid delays to Galway to Dublin intercity trains.

It is estimated that once the project is funded and gets underway, it would take just over one year to complete the works which are anticipated to provide for trains between Galway, Oranmore and Athenry every 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, Mr Hanrahan said a masterplan for the site of the former Carnmore Airport, which is in the joint ownership of Galway City and County Councils, should see progress in the coming months.

“We have procurement consultants drawing up a spec on [the airport site] and we are hoping that work on the masterplan can begin in quarter three of this year,” he said.

Pictured: Progress on the cards….Oranmore train station.