Tension is emerging over the future of a now-disused section of rail network in the southeast of the country.
The Rosslare-Waterford line was effectively closed down in 2010, but has been the subject of a campaign on the part of some groups to have it reopened, initially for freight traffic but eventually for passengers.
However, others in south Wexford want the route to be used for a new greenway that would link up with other greenways in the county and across the region, including the successful Waterford greenway and the pending New Ross greenway.
An all-island rail review is understood to have reported in draft form and recent speculation has suggested that it will recommend reopening the Rosslare-Waterford city line for rail.
Meanwhile, Minister for Transport and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has made it known on a number of occasions that he favours reopening the line and developing it as part of a western/Atlantic corridor, which would join up with other parts of the network.
Members of the South East On Track pressure group have been lobbying for such a move since 2010 and said this weekend that they welcome Minister Ryan's comments while calling on him to publish the rail review report.
"Rosslare and Waterford rail link provides a very valuable route for freight," Joe Ryan of South East On Track told RTÉ News.
"Over the last few years, after Brexit, we've seen an enormous increase in the amount of containers passing through Rosslare.
"Rosslare needs to have a freight line to be considered to be a tier one port, internationally.
"Many of its competitor ports that are shipping goods from the continent are tier one status and providing rail freight to Rosslare makes logical sense for customers to freight, that they would have rail freight at tier one level from Rosslare to elsewhere throughout the country," he said.
He said that while the group is "realistic enough" to understand that the most the current process could achieve is a reopening for freight, they would like to see passengers eventually restored to the line.
"If rail freight returns we will look at how that might change the scenario and we will reassess and look at putting a business case for passengers in the future."
Those who want a greenway installed on the old line say too much time has passed since it was actually used for rail, too much money would have to be invested and, to date, no specific plans have been put forward at an official level.
Rosslare-based Councillor Jim Moore, who has been one of the main speakers in favour of the greenway plan, said that if Minister Ryan is going to move in favour of reopening the line to rail, he needs to proceed with that decision without delay and put plans in place.
"This debate has gone on far too long," Cllr Moore said.
"We cannot leave this line vacant for another ten or 12 years, hoping that funding will be made available and commitments to the future development of south Wexford and the southeast region."
In relation to the greenway plan, he referred to the "huge success" of such schemes in the likes of Waterford and the west of Ireland.
"We have developed greenways here in Wexford.
"The New Ross greenway is going to open very shortly and we also know there are plans to link Cork city to Waterford city, and on to New Ross, so we’re going to be left with a section that will not have a greenway, joining the very important port of Rosslare to the rest of the south of Ireland," Cllr Moore said.
He said the greenway idea is his preference "because it has been the only plan left on the table".
Some local businesspeople are also backing the move, including Nora Doyle of Doyle Design Interiors in Bridgetown, who said it would be "fantastic" for the area.
"It would bring so much business to it. There’s lots of small local businesses just established and it would transform their business.
"Really, I suppose we’ve been left in limbo for the last three years, we can’t move, there’s investment that could happen if this went ahead and it would just be fantastic," she said.
Leigh Kelly of Zaeire Artisan Chocolates and coffee shop on Bridgetown’s Main Street said that a greenway would bring "people on their bikes" and other tourists into the area, "particularly in the summer months" and would transform the region.
It is expected that the all-island rail review will be published in the coming weeks, although because of the 32-county nature of the study, the lack of an administration in Northern Ireland is understood to have hampered these plans.
