Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Kelly, Mr. McMyler and Mr. Kenny to the committee. I agree that it is time that the all-Ireland rail review was published. We have waited long enough. If it is not published today, I hope it will be published next week and that we will have certainty on the issues pertaining to the western rail corridor and the relevant campaigns. Having been a local councillor, my experience of local councillors is that they all do and advocate what is best for their communities. Whether they are in counties Sligo or Mayo, they do what they think is best. Over a long number of years, we have allowed two equally valid campaigns that are in competition with each other. Some of the online campaigning was quite nasty, perhaps not at the time of the last local election but at the time of the one before. It did not help anybody's cause. Irrespective of what happens, I hope we do not see it repeated. It is safe to say that there is now support for the reopening of the western rail corridor, certainly to Claremorris, in the short term. I commend West=on=Track, which has done much campaigning over the years to protect and preserve the line and the reality of the rail connectivity. It was being vilified for this in some quarters, but that is not to say there could not be a greenway in the area, in parallel or in another form. However, it seems to be accepted that the line will reopen in the short term.

There are two sections, namely the section within the Mayo border and the section within the Sligo border, to allow for the renewal of the line all the way up and for the completion of the western rail corridor. In any planning application, cognisance would be taken of the local county development plan. Mayo councillors have pledged their support for the western rail corridor, as is their democratic right. I apologise but I am not sure of the wording in the Sligo county development plan. It may be more in support of a greenway. How would it work if the county development plans of two adjoining counties had differing views on the same project? How would it operate in the planning application?