A major upgrade will see a twin-track railway added between Glounthaune and Midleton
It’s good news for commuters.
Iarnród Éireann is about to apply for a Railway Order for the construction of a second rail track along the 10km section of railway line between Glounthaune and Midleton.
The Railway Order application will be lodged by Coras Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), holding company for Iarnród Éireann, with An Bord Pleanála on Thursday, November 10th.
The upgrading of the line from the existing single track to the new twin track railway, along with the completion of the new Kent Station through platform and the proposed signaling and communications upgrades will facilitate the potential tripling of service frequency to a 10-minute service frequency each way compared to the current 30-minute service.
According to Iarnród Éireann, the investment will enable a future service pattern of up to six trains per hour per direction from the current two, which will “increase capacity, foster better connectivity, and enhance the reliability of the Cork rail network”.
Railway Order application for Midleton twin-tracking to be lodged with An Bord Pleanála – part of the largest ever investment in the Cork Commuter Rail network.
More info: https://t.co/xdS8CXoDNY pic.twitter.com/SbpA7GSaVg
— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) November 3, 2022
“Today marks an important milestone for the development of the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme.” said Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD.
“This Government has committed €185m to the delivery of Phase 1 of the programme by the end of 2026, of which €164m is funded from the EU’s post-COVID Recovery and Resilience Plan to provide for improvements to Cork commuter rail as part of a more sustainable transport system.
“Delivery of double tracking between Glounthaune and Midleton is a key part of this programme and will help ensure that the Cork commuter network has sufficient capacity to cater for ambitious rail service upgrades planned for the future.”
An eight-week statutory public consultation period will commence on Thursday, November 17th, 2022, and any potentially impacted landowners and occupiers of lands referenced in the Railway Order application will be contacted directly.
