Paid parking coming down the line at Oranmore Station

PARKING at Oranmore Train Station will no longer be free once plans for a new car park on the site are completed.

Work is continuing on the creation of a second track at the station, a project which is on course to be completed towards the end of 2027. Galway County Council are already making plans to prepare for the extra services and demand by building a new carpark.

Director of Services for Planning Valarie Loughnane gave an update on the carpark project during last week’s meeting of the Athenry/Oranmore Municipal District, which is set to double parking capacity from 140 to over 300 spaces.

The designs are nearing completion but have yet to be signed off on. The final number of spaces could be as large as 312, but factors such as the need for EV charging facilities on site could lower this to nearer 300.

“We did surveys and utilised the expertise of Irish Rail to make sure we were providing an adequate level of parking for people who use Oranmore Station,” explained Ms Loughnane.

“The new carpark will not be free, motorists will have to pay to park their vehicles here, which is not the case at the station at present. We will be working with Irish Rail to see how paid parking has worked successfully at other stations.”

A planning decision on the car park is expected to made in the first few months of 2027 and work will progress quickly once the second track is completed.

“We will be looking to secure funding for the project intermittingly, pursuing every funding avenue we while we wait for the current upgrades at the station to be completed,” added Ms Loughnane.

“We are also building a new Eco Park at Oranmore Station via money from the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF). Both projects will be completed together, as the designs for the Eco Park been integrated into the car park plans.”