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

I thank the Chair and the Department. I wish to make a general comment first. This is the third hearing on this petition and it is important to say that petitioners can come to this House and have their cases heard. They can participate in some of the discussions and they can listen and have questions answered. As a general comment, it is useful to say that this a good example of ordinary people being able to come to this House, not just through their politicians, but directly, to make their case for whatever their petition might be. I wish to make that comment first.

To come to the specifics as to what we are looking at today, I am not going to make any comments on what happens in Galway or Mayo.

It is for the elected representatives from there to comment on and ask about that. What I am interested in is the Charlestown to Collooney route and, of course, the SLNCR, which would continue the rail line through County Leitrim and on to Enniskillen - a really important cross-Border project. As Mr. Doocey said, we are in phase 2 of the Sligo greenway, there are six potential route options and we will know the preferred ones by late 2024. Progress is being made on the SLNCR, which is at stage 2. Maybe part of the reason we are here today is to seek clarity. Just last week, I tabled an oral parliamentary question for the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on the western rail corridor and the possibility of greenways, railways or other projects. Most of us in these Houses are sick to the teeth of hearing that the final review will be published. It is really holding everything up. Things are in abeyance because we do not have clarity on what is going to happen. The Minister has said there are issues over the fact that the Assembly in Northern Ireland was not up and running and that this has held things up. Nonetheless, we need clarity on what is going to happen. While we had a draft rail review, we need the final document before we can examine and assess the proposal, make comments and push forward with policy, whatever that is going to be and whether it is from this Government or the next.

Leaving all those matters where they are, because we can work only from where we are today, I want to make one or two comments. The main one concerns the fact that there seems to be almost a competition between railways and greenways. I am interested in hearing what my colleagues have to say about this. The competition is totally unnecessary and takes away from progress that can be made now and also in the future. A long time ago, as chairperson of the Council for the West, I fully supported the western rail corridor. I have never moved from that position, but if Government policy is not to move forward with the rail link from Charlestown, the rail corridor will be available in the meantime. We are at stage 2 of the greenway and I fully support the building of a greenway. It would result in the keeping of the railway and it would be in public ownership, and the line could be handed back to Iarnród Éireann at any given time – within six months, I believe. Regardless of whether a future Government accepts or changes what is in the rail review, the line can, in accordance with policy, be used as a railway.

Building a greenway simply preserves the rail line and in no way has a negative impact on the line’s use for a railway in the future. I asked the representatives of Iarnród Éireann about this on the last occasion, and I am now interested in hearing whether Mr. Doocey has any views on it. The representatives of Iarnród Éireann were quite clear that the greenway project would have no negative impact whatsoever. Sometimes you have to go with what is available and not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. In this case, we are finished stage 2 of a greenway and should proceed with it. I do not see the purpose of the disagreement. The purpose of the proposals is to open up the region. A part might have a greenway and a part might have a railway. It may all be railway in the future – we do not know – but we should take the opportunities presented to us now.

In the context of there being a greenway, does Mr. Doocey envisage any negatives? I am referring only to the building of a greenway north of Charlestown in the context of a railway possibly being put in place in ten or 15 years. I will not give a precise timeline. Are there any negatives from that point of view? In the opinion of Mr. Doocey, when can we genuinely expect to see the rail review so final decisions can be made and people can be clear about where we are going from here?