For multinational investors, indigenous firms, growing SMEs, educators and public bodies, reliable transport is the infrastructure behind talent, investment, collaboration and growth. Limerick, Galway and Shannon Chambers are calling for delivery.
Limerick Chamber, together with Galway Chamber and Shannon Chamber, is calling on Government to use Budget 2027 to accelerate the strategic transport projects that will keep businesses, people and opportunity moving across the west and Midwest.
The joint call, reflected in the three Chambers’ separate pre-Budget submissions to the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure, is grounded in a clear business need: a connected region is better placed to attract investment, widen access to talent, support housing delivery and help enterprises compete at home and internationally.
What better connectivity means for your organisation
For multinational businesses investing in the region, dependable links to Shannon Airport, Limerick, Galway and the wider talent catchment strengthen the case for locating and expanding here. For indigenous and established businesses, they improve access to customers, suppliers, skills and national and international markets. For scaling SMEs, easier movement across the region creates a larger network of people and commercial opportunity.
Connectivity also brings enterprise, education and public services closer together. Better links between campuses, workplaces, towns and cities can deepen industry collaboration, expand access to education and help organisations recruit and retain the people they need.
These benefits depend on a transport system that works as one. Strong international access through Shannon Airport must be supported by efficient road, rail, bus and local public transport connections, so that the region’s economic assets are easy to reach and ready to support further growth.
Seán Golden, Chief Economist and Director of Policy, Limerick Chamber
The continued growth of the western region depends on our ability to move people efficiently between where they live, work, study and do business. Strategic investment in roads, public transport and rail infrastructure, combined with strong international connectivity through Shannon Airport, will strengthen links across the region, support enterprise growth and enhance Ireland’s attractiveness as a location for investment.
From individual projects to a connected regional system
The Chambers are seeking increased investment in regional airports and accelerated delivery of the N19 Shannon Airport Access Road. They are also calling for a faster rollout of BusConnects in Limerick and Galway, alongside more integrated public transport services linking cities, towns and communities across the region.
Rail is an essential part of that long-term system. The joint priorities include progressing a feasibility study for the proposed Shannon Rail Link and maintaining investment in the Western Rail Corridor to meet future mobility and sustainable transport needs.
Karen Ronan, Chief Executive, Galway Chamber
The west has the enterprise base, the talent and the ambition to drive national economic growth, but it needs the infrastructure to match. A connected region is essential if we are to deliver housing, improve labour mobility, attract investment and enhance quality of life. Budget 2027 must prioritise delivery of the strategic transport projects that have been talked about for too long.
Helen Downes, Chief Executive, Shannon Chamber
Shannon Airport, our cities and our growing towns are key economic assets. Ensuring they are connected through a modern and efficient transport network is fundamental to unlocking future growth opportunities. Investment in projects such as the N19 Shannon Airport Access Road and enhanced public transport services will deliver significant benefits for businesses, employees and communities across the region.
Advocacy shaped around regional ambition
Transport is one part of a wider competitiveness agenda in the Chambers’ individual pre-Budget 2027 submissions. Limerick Chamber is also advocating for stronger enterprise competitiveness, faster housing delivery, the regeneration of Limerick city centre and the development of the Shannon Estuary as a strategic hub for energy and industry.
Galway Chamber’s priorities include housing-enabling infrastructure, funding certainty for major capital projects, skills, innovation, artificial intelligence and local authority funding reform. Shannon Chamber is seeking investment in the OneShannonHub regeneration project, offshore renewable energy infrastructure, housing, workforce skills and artificial intelligence.
Together, these proposals connect the everyday needs of employers and communities with a shared vision for positive progress. By turning transport ambition into delivery, Budget 2027 can help the region’s businesses grow, its institutions collaborate and its people thrive – strengthening the west and Midwest’s contribution to Ireland’s future.
