22.—(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in section 21 of the Act of 1950 or in any other enactment, a railway company may sell any land under or adjoining an abandoned railway line by private treaty to a local authority or public utility undertaking.

(2) In this section—

“local authority” has the meaning given to it by section 2 of the Local Government Act, 1941;

“public utility undertaking” means any authority or company which carries on an electricity or gas undertaking and any board or body established by Saorstát Éireann statute or Act of the Oireachtas.