Application for major Cork rail upgrade to be lodged with An Bord Pleanála 

AJ Cronin, Programme Delivery Manager, Cork Area Commuter Rail, Iarnród Éireann, Emma Love, Stakeholder and Environmental Manager, Cork Area Commuter Rail, Iarnród Éireann and Ray Foley, Station Manager Cork, Iarnród Éireann

Iarnród Éireann is to lodge an application to An Bord Pleanála for a Railway Order for a major upgrade along a section of Cork’s railway network.

The application is for the construction of a second rail track along the 10km section of railway line between Glounthaune and Midleton in Co Cork.

If approved, it is hoped that construction will begin in 2024 for completion in 2026.

The application will be lodged by Coras Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), the holding company for Iarnród Éireann, on Thursday November 10.

An eight-week statutory public consultation period will follow from November 17 until January 2023.

The upgrade, along with the completion of the new Kent Station through platform and signalling improvements has the potential to triple service frequency to a 10-minute service frequency each way compared to the current 30-minute service.

It’s envisioned that this investment will enable up to six trains per hour per direction from the current two.

If approved, the project will facilitate the tripling of services on the Glounthaune to Midleton railway line

The project is funded by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and is an integral part of the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy, developed by the National Transport Authority.

It follows a public consultation earlier in 2022, with the following infrastructure elements included in the application:

• The addition of a second track over the full extent of the line, as well as sidings and turn back facilities in Midleton.
• The modification/replacement of bridges and level crossings to facilitate the twin tracking, as well as associated signalling upgrades and alterations.
• All associated civil works (retaining walls, boundary treatments, etc.).
• All works completed will be compatible with future electrification of the Cork Area Commuter Rail network.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said: “Today marks an important milestone for the development of the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme”.

“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.” National Transport Authority (NTA) chief executive Anne Graham, said the development, if approved, will “significantly enhancing capacity for local communities and helping in the delivery of an integrated sustainable transport network for Cork”.

Iarnród Éireann chief executive Jim Meade said the announcement marks “the next major milestone in the transformation of the Cork rail network”.