Public reminded to have their say on proposed upgrade of East Cork railway line

The public are being encouraged to have their say on the proposed upgrade of the existing rail line between Glounthaune and Midleton as the public consultation deadline approaches.

Iarnród Éireann has reminded communities and customers to give their feedback on the proposed twin-tracking of the Glounthaune to Midleton line by Tuesday, August 16.

Last month, the company published details of the proposed twin-tracking of the 10km section which it says will help to facilitate an ultimate tripling of service frequency along the line.

The proposed twin-tracking is just one in a series of rail improvement projects that are currently being progressed in the Cork Metropolitan Area.

Following the announcement earlier in July of the doubling of off-peak services from Cork to Cobh/Midleton, a planning application was recently submitted to Cork City Council for the construction of a through platform at Kent Station.

The proposed construction of this new platform will allow commuter trains to travel through Kent Station from Mallow and onto Midleton or Cobh without terminating or requiring passengers to change service, as is the case currently.

Subject to planning being granted, Iarnród Éireann has said construction of the through platform is expected to commence in 2023 with a view to completion in 2024.

The company said that a signalling and communications project is also progressing which will ensure the necessary upgrades are completed to facilitate the proposed capacity and service frequency increase across the Cork rail network.

The preliminary design of these upgrade works are well advanced, and the implementation stage is expected to commence in 2023.

These three initial projects are part of a wider series of improvements being delivered in the Cork Metropolitan Area.

For details on how to make a submission on the proposed twin-tracking of the Glounthaune to Midleton line see the project page on www.irishrail.ie.

All submissions and feedback received during the public consultation will be reviewed and considered by the design team in preparing the final design.