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Transport · Tuam

Tuam railway station

Tuam's station is still there, and so is the line through it, but no passenger has boarded a train here since 1976. It opened in 1860 on the Limerick to Sligo route of the Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway, and it was the big stop between Athenry and Claremorris: the only one on that stretch with two platforms and a passing loop, with an extensive goods yard and engine sheds. Reopening it has been promised, planned and postponed for twenty years.

Checked against the source on 2026-09-19.

Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) class 111 no. 111 taken during a photo stop at Tuam in Co. Galway during "The Western Enterprise" railtour organised by Southern
Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) class 111 no. 111 taken during a photo stop at Tuam in Co. Galway during "The Western Enterprise" railtour organised by Southern
Phil Richards from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Tuam High Cross on the 3D model; tap a pin for its page and directions.

1860 to 1976

In 1901 the Great Southern and Western Railway bought the line and Tuam became part of its network. Córas Iompair Éireann closed the whole route to passengers in 1976 in its rationalisation of the network, but the goods facilities stayed busy after that and the line through the station has carried intermodal containers.

The corridor plan

Transport 21, published in 2005, planned to rebuild the Limerick to Sligo line in stages as the Western Railway Corridor. Athenry to Claremorris was to reopen in two sections, the first from Athenry to Tuam with an intermediate stop at Ballyglunin and the second from Tuam to Claremorris. Both were postponed indefinitely when the public finances collapsed, though Irish Rail's Rail Vision 2030 report of 2012 recommended Galway to Tuam as a priority for review if money became available, and the 2024 All-Island Strategic Rail Review also made recommendations for the line. Until then Tuam's connections are by road; the getting-here page lists them, and the Western Rail Corridor guide has the wider story.

Questions people ask

Is there a train to Tuam?
No; passenger services ended in 1976 and the Athenry to Tuam section has not reopened, though it remains planned as Section 1 of the Western Rail Corridor.
When did Tuam station open?
In 1860, on the Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway's route between Limerick and Sligo.
Will Tuam railway station reopen?
Rail Vision 2030 in 2012 and the 2024 All-Island Strategic Rail Review both recommended reviewing or advancing the Galway to Tuam line, but no date has been set.

Written from Wikipedia, "Tuam railway station" (CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-09-19, and from the OpenStreetMap places on the model. Nothing has been added from memory; follow the source for its footnotes.