Rosslare to Waterford greenway ‘parked’
COUNTY CHAIRMAN CALLS FOR FOCUS TO SHIFT TO DEVELOPING A GREENWAY LINKING WEXFORD TOWN AND ROSSLARE
PLANS for a new Rosslare to Waterford greenway have been shelved, it has emerged, after calls to look at re-opening the old Wexford to Waterford rail line.
Chairman of Wexford County Council Cllr Ger Carthy confirmed that the project had been ‘parked’ amid a push from Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan to review all rail infrastructure in the country and a motion from Waterford City & County Council to examine the possibility of re-opening the disused rail line, which carried its last passengers some ten years ago.
Under the existing plans, the disused rail line would be torn up to make way for the greenway, with County Council Chief Executive Tom Enright previously on record as saying it was impossible to have both. Greenways have become a focus of county councils across the country and in Wexford, work is already ongoing on the New Ross to Waterford greenway, which is a completely separate project.
While the review of the rail line between Rosslare and Waterford is ongoing, Cllr Carthy is calling for a focus to be put elsewhere.
‘I’m calling for the council to seek funding to construction a greenway from Wexford to Rosslare alongside the existing rail line,’ he said. ‘I’d like to see it possibly break off then to at least Bridgetown and possibly down and around to Kilmore Quay. After the review, if the decision is taken not to re-open the Wexford to Waterford line, we can re-submit the plans for the Rosslare to Waterford greenway.’
Cllr Carthy called on the Green Party leader Minister Ryan to put his money where his mouth is in terms of supporting green initiatives.
‘If the Green Minister wants to support the retention of railway lines, that’s fair enough,’ Cllr Carthy said. ‘But he needs to support greenways too. A greenway from Wexford town to Rosslare would link in brilliantly with work already done on our cliff walk down in the harbour. The biggest thing for me though is that the tourism economy in Rosslare has to be protected and developed at all costs.’