Laois greenway work would put 'heavy pressure' on Kilkenny

Laois County Council would put ‘heavy pressure’ on Kilkenny if it converted an old train line into a greenway connecting a Laois heritage town to a medieval marble city.

That’s the view of a county councillor who tabled a motion at a recent meeting with officials that called for a feasibility study of a greenway from the old Abbeyleix railway station to Kilkenny city along a stretch of the old Portlaoise to Kilkenny line.

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While Laois County Council has not received any money of of more than €100 million allocated for Greenways in the past two years, Cllr Ollie Clooney wants the County Council to complete the Abbeyleix to Attanagh section.

“If we got this done we would put heavy pressure on the Kilkenny to go the rest of the way. What a resource it would be. The local elections are coming and this is going to be on my manifesto. I am going to try everything in my power to get this done,” he said.

 Cllr John King and Cllr James Kelly supported.

Paul McLoughlin, Senior Engineer, Roads, issued a written reply.  

“Initially Laois Council will examine the feasibility of Greenways within County Laois along the old railway line. Should these initial studies show potential for such a route the opportunity to extend beyond Laois could be explored with Kilkenny County Council as the majority of a route between Abbeyleix and Kilkenny City would reside within County Kilkenny,” he said.

The old Laois Kilkenny train line opened in 1867, when the Waterford & Kilkenny Railway extended its line northwards through Abbeyleix, Durrow, and on to Portlaoise, following the route of the Kilkenny Junction Railway operated by the Great Southern & Western Railway architecture. It closed in 1962.