More time has been awarded by the city council for a massive renovation project for Ceannt Station.
Irish Rail first secured planning permission to overhaul Ceannt Station in 2014, but the project was unable to proceed at the time due to a lack of funding.
Now an extension of duration to the planning permission has been secured while the transport authority works on a fresh funding application.
In the revamped Ceannt Station, right as travellers are arriving they will go through a completely new glazed entrance building for the station.
The project also involves many functional improvements, with plans to extend the North East Bay platform and add a two metre high boundary wall will be erected to enclose the extension.
An additional 2,336sqm of train concourse and platform space will also be provided by refurbishing the existing stores and maintenance areas, along with a new pedestrian entrance, and a new partially glazed roof to replace the existing roof structure.
Other internal work in the station will include the “removal of walls within the train station to provide additional ticket purchase facilities, enlarged concourse areas, new toilet facilities, new ticket inspector accommodation North Eastern side of the station.”
The existing steel ramped access at the front entrance will be removed after the new level, pedestrian entrance has been completed at the southern end of Ceannt Station and the original step arrangement of the building will be reinstated.
Multiple additional glazed entrances to the station will also be created as part of the renovation project, as well as a new pedestrian link from Eyre Square to the nd the new southern station entrance.
Several lean to buildings at the north western side of the building and a shed at south eastern gable will be demolished to make way for this project, as will a single storey industrial building and multiple fuel silos.
Galway City Council awarded the extension of duration to Irish Rail unconditionally.
The NTA is currently working on the application for funding under the Urban Regional Development Fund, which it is hoped will be ready by September.
Assuming that funding is secured in January of 2020 work will begin on Ceannt Station in February 2022, with a view towards being complete by August 2023.
