A proposal for a greenway on the Athenry to Milltown and Charlestown to Collooney sections of the Western Rail Corridor has come under some criticism.

Sinn Féin MEP Chris MacManus has labelled the TII proposal as "premature" and said it is at odds with the Development Plans of local Councils.

MEP MacManus said: "I am deeply concerned with TII's proposal for a greenway on the Athenry to Milltown and Charlestown to Collooney sections of the Western Rail Corridor as part of the new National Cycle Network.

"This proposal flies in the face of the County Development Plans of Galway, Mayo and Sligo and the Development Plan for the Northern and Western Region (Regional Spatial ES) all of which gave been approved by elected representatives. These plans make no recommendations for a greenway on the rail line and support the restoration of passenger and freight rail services on the line. It is outrageous that TII have chosen to ignore our local democratic structures and representatives by putting forward this proposal.

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"I have written to Minister Eamon Ryan to query if this proposal was approved by him and if he will ensure that it is amended. With the national rail review still ongoing it is bizarre that these proposals have been published before a decision has even been made on the future of the rail line. It brings the rail review into disrepute and will undoubtedly lead people to question if the review has been set up to fail.

"The benefits of reopening the Western Rail Corridor, in terms of delivering economic development and reducing emissions by enabling more people to travel sustainably, are well known.

"Developing a greenway on the railway line would ensure that the line would never again be used for rail transport. Once you open a recreational amenity for the local community it is impossible to take it back for a variety of reasons. It would be a poor use of the infrastructure when the most sensible solution is to construct a greenway alongside the rail line or in an alternative location. Both options can and should be considered separately or in parallel.

"In other parts of Ireland, in particular the east coast, there is both top class transport infrastructure and recreational amenities like greenways. All of our local politicians should demand the same for our region and not just settle for the crumbs off the table from Dublin. We are not second class citizens in the west and north-west.

"Sinn Féin will continue to work to ensure that the rail line is protected for future use."