The Waterford & Suir Valley Railway line which runs beside the Greenway between Waterford and Kilmeaden.
The Waterford Greenway is a high-quality 3-metre wide, tarmacadam-surface cycle/walkway. It stretches 46km through some of the most scenic areas from Waterford City to Dungarvan, County Waterford.
The route follows the former Waterford to Dungarvan Railway line, passing through the villages of Kilmeadan and Kilmacthomas.
The Waterford, Dungarvan & Lismore Railway
The Waterford, Dungarvan & Lismore Railway Company, was set-up in 1872. This 43-mile stretch of railway was the most expensive line to be built in Ireland at the time, as it followed the most difficult route of any railway in the South. It was a very hilly line with a series of sharp curves, a 400m long tunnel near Durrow and three viaducts, one at Kilmacthomas, one at Durrow and the third at Ballyvoyle. It also included a great number of bridges and three road crossings at Dungarvan.
Waterford’s fourth railway line opened to traffic on 12th August 1878 and it was considered the most scenic route in Ireland with the most amazing views of the ocean and the lush green countryside through which it traveled. The last passanger train ran on the line in 1967 heading to Rosslare from Dungarvan. It reopened for a short period with the opening of the Magnasite ore processing plant but closed again in 1982. C.I.E. (Córas Iompair Éireann) continued to maintain the line, and engineers would occasionally run locomotives until 1987 when the last train was seen on the Waterford to Dungarvan line.
Waterford City & County Council obtained a licence from C.I.E. in the early 2000s to develop the line as an amenity for the public. From this the Greenway was born!
