Announcement sets in train Cork's long-awaited commuter rail network

There’s at least €1bn ready for the long-mooted new commuter train stations, two new park-and-ride sites, the new rolling stock and a new depot to store and service the vast new fleet

The scope is massive — today, the commuter routes are served by eight two-vehicle cars, with trains running every 30 minutes. That’s set to increase to 150 cars, running every 10 minutes on the Cork to Mallow, Cork to Cobh, and Cork to Midleton routes, but every five minutes on the Cork to Glounthane stretch — effectively a 'turn-up-and-go' service. File picture: Larry Cummins

After all the plans and blueprints over almost two decades, the delivery of a high-frequency commuter rail network for Metropolitan Cork is finally hurtling down the tracks.

Various local, regional and national planning development documents and policies have aligned but crucially, there is a real political will to deliver, and more importantly, massive funding available to pay for it.