Plans for 'The Sligo Greenway' - a 35km public walking/cycling trail along the disused western rail corridor in south Sligo have been shelved.
Sligo County Council had identified the disused railway line from Collooney to Bellaghy, belonging to Iarnród Éireann as its preferred route.
The local authority said it was suspending any further works as the preferred route is no longer available and a suggested alternative option was not viable.
During a public consultation in December 2024, Iarnród Éireann informed Sligo County Council that it could not support the preferred route at this time, but it indicated support for an alternative "alongside" option, running parallel to the railway.
A review of the proposed option found while it was "technically feasible" that it was not viable because of additional constraints, costs, and risks.
Sligo County Council's high-level review found that running a greenway running parallel to the railway would impact 250 private land parcels with more than 70% of the route requiring private land acquisition.
The alternative route had increased ecological impacts, and it carried a higher risk of not securing planning approval.
The review found that the alternative route diverged from the principles of the Code of Best Practice for National and Regional Greenways which prioritises the use of state-owned lands to minimise impacts on private property.
Preliminary conservative estimates indicated minimum increased costs of 22% higher compared to the route that would have been centred on the disused railway line.
Based on its review findings, Sligo County Council concluded that it was not a viable alternative to the preferred corridor that centred on the disused railway line.
The council said considering these factors and following consultation with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) that it was "suspending any further work on this project".
Sligo County Council had planned, if they were given the go-ahead on the preferred route that the land would remain in Iarnród Éireann's ownership, with the greenway constructed and operated under a license agreement.
They said this option enabled the development of the greenway and that also protected the railway line in the event of the railway re-opening in the future.
RTÉ News understands that the correspondence Sligo County Council received from Iarnród Éireann during the public consultation in December 2024, was received without prior notification of Iarnród Éireann’s change in its position.
Following that submission, Sligo County Council sought clarification on Iarnród Éireann’s reasoning for the reversal in its position.
The council received a response last June confirming that Iarnród Éireann could not support the greenway on the existing alignment at this time.
The plans for the Sligo Greenway were first mooted more than 10 years ago and three public consultations had been carried out, receiving support from community groups including the Sligo Greenway Cooperative.
Approximately €1million has been spent on the project, funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
It was envisaged that the Sligo Greenway had the potential to link into the proposed Sligo, Leitrim, Northern Counties Railway Greenway at Collooney.
Sligo County Council has said it remains committed to the development of greenway infrastructure in Yeats Country.
It added: "Should Iarnród Éireann revert to their original decision to support the development of the Sligo Greenway centred on the disused railway line, Sligo County Council, in consultation with TII, will seek to resume the development of the project, subject to financial resources being available at that time."
Sligo County Council’s announcement to suspend any further works on the Sligo Greenway follows last week’s Government decision to reopen the Western Rail Corridor from Athenry, Co Galway to Claremorris, Co Mayo via Tuam.
Construction on the 52km Athenry to Claremorris rail corridor is expected to commence in 2028 and it is expected to be completed in 2030.
The rail line from Claremorris to Collooney closed 50 years; passenger services ended in 1963, and the route was closed to all traffic in 1975.
It is expected the extension of the Western Rail Corridor northwards to Sligo will come into strong focus when the anticipated works commence from Athenry to Claremorris.
