Railway Greenway hopes to benefit from Carbon Tax 2020 fund

The aim of the recent Carbon 2020 funding call is so to assist local authorities in developing greenway plans so that they would shovel ready in time for the next round of construction funding.

Cavan County Council has made an application under the Carbon Tax 2020 fund for financial support to develop the proposed Cavan Town Railway Greenway project.

It is the only application from the county submitted to the Transport, Tourism and Sport administered fund.

The Carbon Tax Fund call for Greenway proposals was announced in January 2020, with the aim to support feasibility, design and planning costs of Greenway projects across the country.

The proposed Cavan Town Railway Greenway project looks link Loretto Road via the road to the Cavan Town Sewerage Plant, along the old railway line, through the lands owned by the HSE at Cavan General Hospital, and onto Golf Links Road.

Part VIII Planning for the project was granted last year.

The greenway is seen as a positive step towards appeasing local residents in the Carrickane area of Cavan Town who have long campaigned for road, footpath and cycling infrastructure improvements.

Already €200,000 has been allocated to the project under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) 2018.

The council has, in recent years, invested significantly in upgrading local networks, including under the Smarter Travel Initiative by providing footpath and cycle lanes between Cathedral Road to Loretto Road.

The Cavan Town Railway Greenway also looks to connect Cavan Town onwards through Butlersbridge to Cloverhill, linking too to the Ulster Canal Greenway and also the Cavan/Leitrim Railway Greenway once developed.

The aim of the recent Carbon 2020 funding call is so to assist local authorities in developing greenway plans so that they would shovel ready in time for the next round of construction funding.

In total, 40 application were received from councils nationwide.

Locally, it includes one application in Leitrim, one in Longford, one in Meath, and one in Monaghan.