I am pleased to inform the Deputy that Kildare County Council are progressing the section of the Royal Canal Greenway between Maynooth and Leixlip, through funding administered by the National Transport Authority (NTA). An allocation of €3,750,000 has been granted for the project in 2021. The design phase of the project is nearing completion and it is anticipated that the tenders for the construction contract will be sought in the coming months with construction to begin in Q4 2021.
In relation to the second part of the Deputy's question, the Royal Canal Greenway will be part of the Dublin to Galway route as far as Mullingar where the Old Rail Trail will take it to Athlone. The Royal Canal Greenway from Maynooth in Kildare to Cloondara in Longford opened on 21 March 2021, and the Old Rail Trail has been opened for some time. Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) have recently been engaging in public consultations with a view to progressing the Dublin-Galway Greenway from Athlone to Galway and are managing the project that will take it across the Shannon at Athlone and onto Galway.