Mr. Kevin Kelly:

I am chief executive of Mayo County Council and am accompanied by Mr. John McMyler, senior planner for Mayo County Council. I thank the committee for its invitation to contribute to the discussions regarding the petition on creating a walking and cycling greenway on the closed railway from Sligo to Athenry.

The committee will be aware that the western rail corridor and its future potential have been the subject of much reporting and debate over many years. In this regard, it is useful to reflect on the policy in respect of this rail line as outlined in relevant policy documents at national, regional and local level. In a more detailed submission, I have outlined those but will not go through them today, save for a synopsis.

The current national development plan refers to the all-island strategic rail review, indicating that the western rail corridor has the potential to revitalise the west of Ireland and that the review would examine how it would be delivered. The SEA consultation report for the review was published in July 2023 and it appears from that document there is strong support for the opening of the rail link between Claremorris and Athenry but not for the section north of Claremorris at this time.

The Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2020-2032, in objective RPO 6.13, supports the delivery of the railway line from Athenry through Tuam and Claremorris to Sligo for both passenger and freight, and expresses the view that the western rail corridor is of strategic importance as it represents a piece of key enabling and sustainable transport infrastructure for the region and presents an opportunity to effect transformational change in the realisation of the Atlantic economic corridor. It can link the economies of three major centres in this region - Limerick, Galway and Sligo - and Ireland West Airport strategic development zone, SDZ.

The potential of this infrastructure is recognised in the narrative, policies and objectives of successive Mayo county development plans since 1978. The current Mayo county development plan for 2022 to 2028 and preceding plans contain clear policies supporting the reopening of the western rail corridor while seeking to protect the line from other uses in the interim. In addition, Galway County Council in its county development plan states that the disused rail line between Athenry and Claremorris via Tuam provides the potential for additional rail services to the north of the county and the extension of the western rail corridor to provide rail access to the north west of the country. The current Galway county development plan includes an objective to support the opening of the western rail corridor from Athenry through Tuam and Claremorris to Collooney as an option for passenger and cargo transportation.

The policy of Mayo County Council in respect of the western rail corridor, as guided by the elected members and as outlined in the country development plan, has been consistent and unequivocal over a long period and has been adopted by successive councils. The members have adopted an approach of seeking to have the western rail corridor in its entirety from Athenry to Sligo reopened for both passenger and freight traffic. They have also clearly sought to protect the future potential of this route from any other development which might be proposed as an interim use pending this reopening. They have made a deliberate decision to support the use of a section of the railway at Kiltimagh for a Velorail project pending its reopening for passenger and rail traffic. The 2014 to 2020 country development plan made specific reference to protecting and safeguarding the route from development for non-transport related purposes, while the current county development plan adopts the position that the route should be removed from any feasibility study for a proposed greenway.