After its closure to passenger trains, the goods facilities at Tuam continued to be heavily used, as the route remained a significant one for freight. The carriage and locomotive sheds were also used by a group called Westrail. This was a railway preservation group that operated trains between Athenry, Tuam and Claremorris until 1993, when Tuam station was closed as a block post.
As part of the Transport 21 plan (published in 2005), the Limerick-Sligo route was to be rebuilt in stages as the Western Railway Corridor. The reopening of the Athenry-Claremorris section was planned in two sections. Section 1 expected the section between Athenry and Tuam to reopen, with an intermediate stop at Ballyglunin; the section between Tuam and Claremorris was to open as Section 2.[2] Due to financial constraints in public finances, both sections were indefinitely postponed — though Irish Rail's Rail Vision 2030 report (published in 2012) recommended that Galway-Tuam be a priority for review if finances become available.[3]