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A MAJOR Irish train station will receive a new glass roof as part of a €70million redevelopment plan.

A new roof will be installed over Ceannt station in Galway city next month as part of a plan to increase the number of platforms from two to five.

Iarnoid Eireann

Iarnoid Eireann have released an impression of the final design[/caption]

The new roof will mirror the original 80-foot-wide wrought iron and glass design by Richard Turner, who also designed the glasshouses at Dublin’s Botanic Gardens and London’s Kew Gardens.

Construction kicked off in January 2024, and it’s being carried out by BAM Ireland for Irish Rail.

The project is expected to be largely completed by mid-2026.

While construction continues, rail and bus services will remain operational – although the southern car park has been temporarily closed.

A new facade and entrance will also be created on the south side of the station.

The new entrance will lead into a modern “train hall”, which will feature new retail units and accessible toilets.

The expanded platforms will allow for more frequent services on the Dublin-Galway route, along with commuter trains from Ennis, Athenry, and Oranmore.

The redeveloped station will also connect directly to the proposed Augustine Hill development, an 8.5-acre urban regeneration project that will include residential, cultural, retail, leisure and office spaces.

Renovations are also underway on the old northern entrance, with a focus on improving accessibility, including an upgraded Bus Éireann ticket office and better connections between bus and rail services.

The redevelopment plan aims to ease pressure and reduce footpath congestion on Station Road.

Plans also include future expansion of bus bays, which will be developed alongside adjacent lands.

An Irish Rail spokesperson told the Irish Times the project would make Ceannt station “possibly one of the best integrated transport hubs we have in the centre of a city.”

The redevelopment is being funded by the Department of Housing’s urban regeneration and development fund and the National Transport Authority.

The spokesperson said that the new station is designed to accommodate the significant growth expected in the future.

They said: “January 2025 will see trusses for the new train hall roof installed, beginning the structure which will transform the environment and ambience of the new station.

“The new Ceannt station is designed to cater for significant growth envisioned in the future, including moves to an hourly Galway to Dublin service; expansion of existing Commuter services; and enhancement of service frequency on the Western Rail Corridor (WRC) between Limerick and Galway, and new phases of the WRC such as Athenry to Claremorris.”

Galway station was partly modernised in the 1960s, but still retains its large Midland and Great Western Line station building and the former railway hotel, now The Hardiman, on Eyre Square.

The station first opened in 1851 as the terminus of the Midland and Great Western Line.

Its eastern terminus was Broadstone station in Dublin, while the Galway to Clifden line opened in 1885 but was closed in 1935.

ROB KEARNEY believes Mack Hansen’s suspension is harsh – but agrees that referees must be protected too. 

Ireland wing Hansen has been handed a three-game ban that will keep him out of action until the Six Nations for comments critical of refereeing in Connacht games. 

Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

INPHO/Craig Watson

He also has a further three games suspended and has been told to apologise to referee Chris Busby, who officiated the Leinster game that drew ire, and go on an as yet to be determined course. 

Additionally, Connacht have a suspended €10,000 fine for not controlling their players – in this case Hansen – and must put their players training in how to deal with the media.

In reality, the Connacht wing has been hit with a two game ban from the meetings with Lyon and Cardiff in the Challenge Cup.

The third game of the suspension in the URC against Glasgow clashes with an Ireland training camp in the Algarve. 

Simon Easterby picks his squad for that next Wednesday and Hansen is expected to be included. 

But former Ireland fullback Kearney reckons that the length of the ban is too much. 

He said: “There are arguments for and against this, there really is. Six matches reduced to three, potentially on the harsh side I would think. 

“A three-match ban is not a slap on the wrist, that’s a little bit more than a slap on the wrist.”

But he also acknowledged that Hansen’s comments – where he picked out incidents in the Leinster game where he thought his team were harshly treated, and claimed it happened regularly – also meant that the URC had to act. 

Kearney said: “You cannot completely put a muzzle on players and just not allow them to voice their opinions because they are a key part of the game.

“Without players there is no game.

“But I do think players have a responsibility to protect the game and to ensure that there is a game in five, ten, 15 years time.

“And listen rugby is a great game. I love rugby. It is what I did my whole life. The values of rugby are very, very strong.

“And it is one of the reasons why lots of kids play the game because they think the values of the game are so strong, in terms of team work, camaraderie, respect for officials and the referee, and everything that goes with that.

“I also think we have to mindful as well that these players are heroes to young kids. And young kids do what they see their heroes doing.

“I am not trying to pick on soccer but if you go down to a local underage soccer team, you see diving, you see shouting at referees. There is a trade off. 

“We cannot get to a point where every post match interview is a player giving out about the officials because if that is the case we won’t have officials and if we don’t have officials.

“The quality of referees and officiating in world rugby needs to get better.

“But if we start discouraging people from wanting to become referees then that issue is only going to get bigger. There are arguments for and against both sides.”

IN A GOOD PLACE

Meanwhile, Kearney reckons Leinster are in a good place this season despite their attacking troubles. 

Leinster visit La Rochelle in the Champions Cup on Sunday looking to continue their perfect winning record this season, but with their defence doing it rather that the attack.

But Kearney thinks that is fine.

He said: “Your defence wins finals. There is no doubt about that but you still have to score tries. 

“I do think Leinster’s defence has improved immeasurably this season and when you get to semi-finals and finals, when pressure comes on a little bit more, that ability to really put the opposition under time and pressure, is going to put them under more pressure.”

Rob Kearney will be part of the Premier Sports commentary team with live action of La Rochelle v Leinster this Sunday live on Premier Sports 1 from 3pm (UK & Ireland).

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 President of the