Il tanto atteso Sligo Greenway potrebbe essere in pericolo per le obiezioni ferroviarie irlandesi
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/08/10/long-awaited-sligo-greenway-may-be-in-jeopardy-over-irish-rail-objections/
di NCaffo
Il tanto atteso Sligo Greenway potrebbe essere in pericolo per le obiezioni ferroviarie irlandesi
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/08/10/long-awaited-sligo-greenway-may-be-in-jeopardy-over-irish-rail-objections/
di NCaffo
21 commenti
Absolutely mental that a project that has such support from both locals and politicians nationally can be canned because one man changed his mind.
Hundreds of thousands spent on this already, with over a million more commited to it, and there’s nothing behind the decision on this at all, just some vague reason: “Oh, the All Ireland Rail Report said that this section wasn’t viable as rail, but it might be at some point in the far off future, so we’ll shitcan a project that could make use of it for the next 30 years, despite the fact that we previously supported this project as a good thing…”
>Irish Rail said in a statement: “It is clear from our engagement with stakeholders that there has been a significant change in momentum towards reinstating the Western Rail Corridor, with Athenry to Claremorris indicated to be advanced as a short-term intervention under the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.
>“Our judgment – based on these engagements, and which experience of the growth in demand for Limerick to Galway services would support – is that this increases the likelihood of Claremorris to Collooney being strongly considered in any first review of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.
>“Our first consideration has always been based on an assessment of public policy as it relates to the potential for reinstatement of an alignment as a rail route, and this informs our position on this matter.”
If Irish Rail allowed this to go ahead and the track were to be ripped up and replaced by a Greenway, and it subsquently turned out during a review that the line was now viable and should be re-activated, then the complaint would be that Irish Rail should have foreseen this and not let a critical resource be destroyed.
And I say this as someone who supports Greenways and has used many of them around the country.
It’s a rather more aggressive tack than they’ve taken with other projects. You look at the likes of the Limerick Greenway or certainly the Midleton-Youghal Greenway, where Irish Rail has let greenways go ahead. I believe in the Middleton one they retained ownership of the land underneath the greenway, under the theory that if they do decide in a couple decades that a rail line makes sense they could change it over.
Rail should be first priorty and greenways a second-best option if the railway is not viable. It’s a shame the way this was handled, but we need that rail to connect a great stretch of the west.
Irish Rail would be pilloried if this went ahead, track got torn up, and they needed to spend millions to replace it for the western rail corridor.
This seems like a matter where the relevant government ministers need to weigh and make a decision – prioritse greenway on current route, or future rail.
Of course the ministers will run as far from making a decision as possible and leave it up to the planning system and courts to sort it all out at great expense, as two competing state funded entities go at it.
Considering the potential for one day laying a route from Sligo to Derry, and making a North-South interconnector route in the process, I back this. I hate how greenway/railway works are either/or designed instead of both, but Derry/Donegal are criminally underserved, so putting a railhead in Sligo makes sense.
I’ll say it again – the athlone to mulligar greenway over the railway was an awful decision, such a useful link between to railway linss that won’t be replaced for god knows how long now.
as a person who cycles everyday , rail gets priority here – think there was a proposal like this before in Wsterford & the greens were in favour of rail
I mean you can argue both ways on this and there are definite benefits to both the greenway and the train line but the main issue here is that one man in Irish Rail decided to change his mind from what he had previously stated about the greenways with no forewarning and also that even if they decide to reopen the rail line it MIGHT happen in 25 years (also worth pointing out the language used isn’t definitive about whether the rail line would open in 2050, work begin then or just a decision be made on it then).
This is to go as far as fermanagh- no need to worry about rail objections here, the all ireland railway plans can’t stretch to Fermanagh apparently. Enough money for all 31 counties…but Fermanagh too expensive.
I no I’ve went off an a tangent, but that’s ridiculous
> which means it will not be considered until 2050 at the earliest
So realistically 2075, just build the greenway.
This is the one time I agree with blocking a Greenway, the railway will likely be viable again in the not so distant future and should be kept in place
Put a time limit on it then start working on the rail line in the next five years or give up the land to people who want to use it. I’m sick of hearing about a rail service on the west coast and nothing being done
Make it a greenway, but make it a greenway that can be converted into a rail line again at a later date because given the section between Claremorris and Colloney isn’t even in the AIRR, the liklihood that we’ll see trains running on it, this side of 2050 is unlikely.
So that’s the options.
Use it as a greenway for the next 30 years.
Or leave it barren and unused IN CASE it needs to be used for rail in 30 years.
This isn’t like infilling with homes and houses. It’s just an asphalt track and a few signs. it can be easily be removed if rail is brought back.
And the project can then be configured to support both. Because we cant scupper expansion of active travel infrastructure on the POSSIBILITY of future trains.
Bizarrely, no mention of encroachment, which is a huge issue on this ‘line’.
If Irish Rail were serious about this route, perhaps they should focus on protecting the assets of the state they are charged with managing?
(Ref final section of)
https://irishcycle.com/2024/12/03/resparked-western-railway-corridor-debate-could-do-with-some-a-few-more-facts/
I’ll take rail over a greenway any day.
It’s hilarious local groups, lads in lycra etc promoting a greenway on land that’s not theirs to do anything with.
This is luxury vs necessity situation. Greenways are luxury and should always be second to necessary infrastructure.
I mean, I don’t disagree. A lot of these old railway lines to greenway conversions really shouldn’t have been done because you never know when we might want those lines back open in the future.
I’m not saying don’t do greenways at all, but find alternative routes.
Put it alongside the trackbed then.
There is no need to even discuss this.
Greenway is just a… road.
Track and whole train infrastructure is far more expensive and takes longer to build.
It makes zero sense to destroy track for Greenway if there is even a slight chance a train route would be required there.
There are some places where track was destroyed but now they want to reverse it… Too late