Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We have had a good discussion here. I cannot speak for all the people behind me but having listened to the contributions from everybody here, there is not one person who would disagree if the national rail review or any Government came forward with a proposal. However, we can only deal with the current Government as it is the only one we have. If the Government were to fund this line, as its policy, from Galway to Athenry, Claremorris, Charlestown, Sligo and right on to Enniskillen and wherever, if that were seen to be the plan and if we knew it would be funded in some sort of a reasonable timeframe, nobody would say we do not want that. I was chairperson of the Council for the West back in the late 1990s and I fully supported the western rail corridor. Today, Mr. Kenny has clearly articulated that, north of Claremorris, certainly up to 2050, it looks as if there will be no investment in the rail link. For now, we should consider creating a greenway. Earlier Deputy Ó Cuív said that possession is nine-tenths of the law. In this case, possession is retained. You simply grant a licence for a section to be used as a greenway and, in six months' time, you can have that back.

Senator Kyne spoke about two equally valid campaigns that are in competition. My immediate reaction is to ask why they are in competition and what is the purpose of that. Competition does not help anybody and there is no need for it in this instance. Deputy Kenny spoke about a solution. If it is the policy in Mayo that they want to build a greenway alongside the railway, then let them go ahead but we found a solution in both Sligo and Leitrim. We have reached the end of stage 2 of the Sligo greenway project and the Sligo, Leitrim, Northern Counties Railway, SLNCR, is progressing.

If, at any time, a Government comes forward with funding or policy to build the railway, Mr. Kenny has confirmed that within six months the land can revert to Iarnród Éireann and the rail link can be built. I do not see competition here. I see an interim or perhaps more long-term - none of us knows – solution to a piece of infrastructure that exists and can, in the meantime, provide positive benefits and outcomes. I do not need to go into those because we dealt with them in the previous hearing we had but they are benefits for tourism and people. A number of people I know, for example, already use some of the strips close to Manorhamilton as working routes. It is phenomenal. More and more people are using it. There is no competition. I wish that somehow this could be accepted. One does not negate the other. Mr. Kenny said it very clearly and we heard it many times. Iarnród Éireann retains ownership and it is simply unlicensed. Look at what is happening in Leitrim and Sligo and see the solution that has been found. There is no competition. The fact that greenways are going ahead will in no way stop any rail development if this Government or a future Government decides it will fund it and gives a timeline for doing it. I appeal to everybody involved in this to work together. One of the worst things, especially in a small region like the west, is that we do not work together and do not consider interim solutions if we are waiting for longer term solutions. Do the witnesses have any comments on that?

I have a question on rail freight. Mr. Kelly mentioned the increase in demand for rail freight in Mayo. Has Mayo County Council done an analysis of that in recent times? What companies is it looking at, aside from Coca-Cola? What analysis has been done on that?