€130m Cork commuter rail plans get on track

IARNRÓD Éireann took its first major step yesterday in starting the planning process for a €130 million commuter rail service in Cork.

Plans went on display for the reopening of the Cork-Midleton railway line at seven locations. The public will have until July 6 to view them and any submissions will have to be made to the Transport Minister Martin Cullen no later than 14 days later.

A spokesman for Iarnród Éireann said that following the receipt of submissions, Mr Cullen would then order a public inquiry, likely to take place in late summer or early autumn.

It is envisaged that the line will reopen in 2008, with initial services between Midleton and Cork running every 30 minutes at peak time. Depending on its success, this may be reduced to every 15 minutes.

Trains will run at hourly intervals off-peak and initially two passenger cars will be deployed with each train. These can be expanded on demand as the station platforms will be designed to accommodate four cars if necessary.

The project involves laying new track, providing a new signalling system, and building stations at Midleton and Carrigtwohill. The stations will have car parks, lifts and footbridges.

Five level crossings will have to be installed along the new line, while four new bridges and one underpass with have to be constructed.

A Railway Order, the equivalent of a planning application, was lodged yesterday and is part of a wider programme of rail improvements planned for the region.

New stations are also planned at Dunkettle on the Cork-Cobh/Midleton line, and Blarney and Blackpool/Kilbarry on the Cork-Mallow line.

A spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann said the development of the Midleton line is an integral part of a framework for land use, transportation, social and environmental policies in the Cork region, which sees Cork take the lead in sustainable planning.

“This will deliver a system which will benefit generations to come in the Cork region. There has been tremendous public support for this major investment, and we would encourage the community and interested parties to avail of the opportunity to see the plans for the Midleton line in any of the seven locations, or online,” the spokesman said.

He added that while there are currently no plans to reinstate the Midleton-Youghal line in the short or medium term, county council planning officials have reserved the rail corridor in case it is needed at a later stage.