A €1 billion plan for Galway's Ceannt Station would see improved services and the construction of 800 homes in a cultural quarter.
Under the plan, proposed by CIÉ, the 14-acre station site off Eyre Square will be transformed into a new urban centre, called the Ceannt Station Quarter.
Eight hundred residential units, including social and affordable housing, are to be built.
The station will get three new full-length platforms that will allow the expansion of intercity and commuter services.
Bus facilities will be doubled with the building of 25 bus bays. Bus Éireann operates a fleet of 120 vehicles in Galway, including 50 school buses.
There will also be improved waiting facilities, bar, restaurants and shops.
Minister for Transport Martin Cullen today urged CIÉ to consult widely with local and regional authorities and development interests "to ensure that the proposed redevelopment of the station integrates well with local and regional development plans".
Iarnród Éireann runs seven trains each way between Galway and Dublin on weekdays, and over 1.5 million passengers used the route last year.
