Cullen to give green light to railway ‘next week’

TRANSPORT Minister Martin Cullen last night indicated he would finally give the go-ahead to the East Cork commuter rail project next week.

If so, it will end a period of intense frustration for residents and businesses in the region.

The €138 million project will provide a commuter rail service from Mallow to Midleton via Cork city. The key element of the project involves the re-opening of the railway line between Midleton and Glounthane.

Launching the project in 2004, Mr Cullen’s predecessor, Séamus Brennan, said the commuter service would be up and running by the start of this year.

In fact, the public inquiry into the Midleton-Glounthane line began only last October, and Iarnród Éireann pushed back the proposed completion date to July 2008.

But that schedule, in turn, is dependent on Mr Cullen signing the railway, or commencement, order for the project.

Locals have expressed frustration that Mr Cullen has yet to sign the order, despite having the inquiry report since January.

However, addressing the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis in Dublin last night, Mr Cullen said he hoped to sign the order in the coming days.

“The public inquiry for the Cork Commuter Rail Project has been completed and I hope to sign the railway order next week to allow this project commence,” he told delegates.

The project is one element of Transport 21, the 10-year plan announced by the Government in November 2005 to overhaul the country’s transport infrastructure.

Despite major question marks about the projected deadlines and lack of costings in the €34.4 billion programme, Mr Cullen last night insisted good progress was being made.

He claimed: “On completion, Transport 21 will have built a truly world-class transport network in keeping with our status as a truly world-class country.”

Elsewhere, Mr Cullen said he would tighten the driving licence regime in an attempt to save lives on the country’s roads.

Provisional licences will be renamed “learner permits” and restrictions will be placed on the holders of such permits to ensure safer driving.

Mr Cullen did not specify what these restrictions would be, but said: “I believe strongly that we can serve the interests of road safety by making the driving licence harder to get and easier to lose.”

“Drivers who place a high value on their licence are more likely to behave in a way which protects that licence,” he added.

“These proposals follow best international practice built on years of experience. They are tough but they are necessary in the ongoing fight against the unwarranted and tragic loss of life on our roads.”