Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 11 April 2024
Committee on Public Petitions
Campaign for a Walking and Cycling Greenway on the Closed Railway from Sligo to Athenry: Discussion (Resumed)
Mr. Barry Kenny:
If one is talking either the short or medium term within the definitions of the rail review, it would not be the wisest investment to develop a greenway like Athenry to Claremorris, as an example. Even if it went into the early 2030s, that is still a relatively short term. The time it would take to deliver a greenway and then replace it would not seem sensible. As I said earlier, while Claremorris to Collooney is not included in the rail review, ultimately, we would like to see the railway developed. As we currently understand, it is not funded up to 2050, so there is potential in that circumstance for a greenway but exclusively on the basis that we have the licence clause that states that if circumstances, the development or business case change, we can invoke the six-month clause to take that alignment back and deliver the railway line.