Press release From: East Mayo Greenway campaign
November 20th 2024 for immediate release: 534 words main body text.
- Greenway Campaign welcomes publication of Preferred route for Sligo Greenway after huge round of public consultation
- ARUP consulting recommends closed railway route as preferred route from Collooney to Bellaghy/Charlestown.
The East Mayo Greenway campaign has welcomed the publication of the final preferred route for the Sligo Greenway after a massive public consultation period which looked at a variety of routes to connect counties Sligo and Mayo with a long distance greenway as part of the National Cycle Network. The preferred route was published on Monday (18th) it follows the exact route we have been asking for years to become a greenway; , the route of the closed railway.
Finally we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel after over a decade of campaigning by a number of community campaign groups along the route. Sligo county council has fully supported the Sligo Greenway for over a decade; The idea of a greenway using the closed railway route is written into the Sligo County plan. Following an extensive period of public consultation the multi-disciplined engineering consultancy ARUP has recommended what thousands of people have been asking for years that the closed railway route from Collooney to Belllaghy/Charlestown as the recommended route for a greenway.
The publication of the All Island Strategic Rail Review earlier this year which was agreed and signed off by both Governments north and south of the border clearly stated the closed railway route north of Claremorris in Mayo running up through Sligo to Collooney was not on the agenda for re-opening. The rail review indicated an entirely different north south route would be needed for any Western Rail Corridor, this gave us reason to believe a greenway might finally be possible on the closed railway route. In any event, said Quinn, using the closed railway route will protect the route in public ownership so if the route is needed for a railway in the future it will remain in public ownership.
The time has now come for all parties to support the Sligo Greenway on the closed railway route and to back the idea for the Sligo Greenway to be extended south of Charlestown to Claremorris on the same route. The closed railway from Athenry to Claremorris has been identified as a potential rail freight route to be re-opened which is to be welcomed. The greenway campaign will continue to push for a parallel greenway along the route of any re-opened railway from Athenry to Claremorris, this would deliver the best of both worlds say the Greenway campaigners.
During the election campaign we are sure candidates will get behind the Sligo Greenway on the preferred route of the closed railway, now it is identified as the preferred route and taking account of the All island strategic rail review. Public support for this campaign is huge but we still know some candidates oppose the idea. Of those candidates standing in the current election in the campaign in Sligo, we would like to offer thanks for three of the candidates who have consistently supported the greenway on the closed railway option in the last few years; Cllr Marie Casserly standing as an independent, Marian Harkin TD standing for re-election and Frank Feighan TD also standing for re-election who has supported the greenway on the closed railway option for over a decade.
Please ask all election canditates standing in Mayo that call to you, where they stand on the issue of extending the Sligo Greenway on to Swinford, Kiltimagh and Claremorris.
