Irish Rail looking to add more carriages to 'crammed' Midleton service

No plans to extend car park at busy station

A shortage of carriages at peak times on the Cork-Midleton route means passengers are crammed in, while others do not make it onto a train at all. File picture

Irish Rail bosses are looking at securing additional rolling stock to meet increasing demand at peak times for commuter passengers in Midleton.

They issued the response following complaints from local councillors that a shortage of carriages at peak times on the Cork-Midleton route means passengers are crammed in almost like the Tokyo underground and some are unable to board trains as there is no room.

Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme (CACRP) delivery manager AJ Cronin has written to councillors in the East Cork Municipal District and has promised to meet them for discussions on the matter next month.

Mr Cronin acknowledged that at present the service is at capacity. 

He said "in the short-term, we are exploring the possibility of securing additional fleet to meet this higher demand at peak travel periods as new fleet enters service across the network and allows a cascade of existing fleet to Cork". 

In addition, while he said he is aware of the parking issues at the Midleton station, Irish Rail has no plans to extend the car park.

“While there are currently no plans to expand parking at this station, additional parking is included in the designs for new stations across the Cork network. The proposed strategic park and ride stations at Dunkettle and Blarney will each provide between 400 and 600 spaces,” Mr Cronin added.

Social Democrats councillor Eamonn Horgan said while he welcomed the response, some aspects of it were vague.

“Commuters are packed into carriages now and there needs to be some mitigation to the situation in the present tense. 

"We can't wait for a trickle-down effect from other locations to free up space on the network while towns and villages across East Cork expand at a phenomenal rate,” Mr Horgan said.

He said traffic on the N25 is only getting worse and commuters are crying out for effective public transport, the train being the best option for many.

“So many are turned off from using the train as they’ve nowhere to leave the car during a day of work in the city or Little Island,” Mr Horgan said.

Fine Gael councillor Rory Cocking said lack of available standing room on the two-carriage service has been experienced as early as 7.15am midweek.

“I acknowledge Irish Rail is exploring the possibility of securing additional carriages in an effort to manage demand. 

"But it’s dependent on new fleet entering service as part of the wider improvements under CACRP which continues apace. 

"Capacity and frequency issues on the line are to be addressed under this programme but we welcome upcoming discussions with Irish Rail to see what measures, if any, could possibly be implemented in the interim,” he said.