Railway line deadline will not be met

IARNRÓD Éireann admitted last night it will not meet its target to have the Cork-Midleton railway line reopened by next July, and says it is now more likely to be late October 2008.

After weeks of speculation, the Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, has confirmed he is getting ready to sign off on the Railway Order, allowing work to start on the line, which is part of a €135m commuter rail upgrade for the Cork region.

In reply to a Dáil question, Mr Cullen told Fine Gael TD David Stanton he had decided to grant the Railway Order for the project, in line with the recommendations of an inspector who had chaired a four-day public hearing last November.