Watch: Kent station on track for major upgrades

AN ADDITIONAL platform at Kent Station will be built by the third quarter of next year and Platform 5 will be extended by 220m and widened by 6m on both sides to meet increased passenger numbers.

The delivery manager at Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme, AJ Cronin, said the investment for the station is “very, very significant”.

“The investment in public transport in the Cork area, through CMATS (Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy), is very, very significant,” Mr Cronin said.

“The Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme, in itself, is the largest investment in heavy rail in Iarnród Éireann history.

“It’s investment across many aspects of the network, which will include eight new stations, a new fleet depot, new fleet, and also electrifying the network, so that we can decarbonise the fleet.”

Capacity will be increased and the suburban rail service will be more frequent.

Platform 6 will be positioned outside of Platform 5, which will allow trains coming from Cobh, Midleton, and Mallow to operate through Kent Station without having to terminate and switch trains.

The service will run every 10 minutes.

The twin tracking of the Glounthaune-to-Midleton route will also provide the capacity for further, higher-frequency commutes.

“The first project running through Kent Station has already been signed off and is under development and will be delivered by 2024.

“So, within a little over a year you will see the investment starting to mature,” Mr Cronin said.

Iarnród Éireann increased the frequency of services on commuter routes from Midleton and Cobh to Cork during the timetable refresh last July. The trains run every half an hour, from Monday to Friday, with additional services in the evening.

“Dart and commuter services nationally on the network are slowly returning to 100% capacity since pre-Covid times. But Midleton and Cobh have grown significantly and are plus 25% over and above the post-Covid figures.

“So, a very strong growth in passenger numbers in Cobh, Midleton and Mallow,” Mr Cronin said.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) included Mallow on the Leap Card route in the past year.

Mallow’s inclusion, accompanied by government intervention and the increase in frequencies along the line, has contributed to the rise in train commuters.

“We’re seeing this increase hugely as a result of the increased frequencies, but, also, we’ve seen the NTA include Mallow in the Leap Card and also the reduced fares applied from government for public transport in the past year.

“A significant reduction of 20% on all fares and a further 50% reduction on the youth card in that time have seen a huge growth in rail passenger numbers in the Cork area,” he added.

Kent Station will receive additional trains and will update previous models to electric.

“This move is important for a number of reasons,” Mr Cronin said.

“Climate-action requirements and sustainability are important goals as Cork is a European emissions city. I think it’s essential that the public transport system migrates to a more decarbonised, low-carbon fleet.

“This is a process that we’re working through at the moment,” Mr Cronin said.

The current fleet is powered by diesel, and has been operating in Cork since the mid-1990s.

The Japanese rail cars are approaching the 30-year mark, and will soon come to the end of their life cycle.

“This (fleet) will migrate to an electric or battery electric fleet when we replace them and as we roll out the new services in Cork.

“We will need to replace the current fleet and increase the number of fleet that we have in the Cork area once the new platform is built,” he added.

The CMATS programme envisages an integrated transport network for Cork city, including all modes of transport, from walking and cycling to Busconnects, as well as heavy and commuter rail programmes.

The Cork Area Commuter Rail programme has kicked off with the first three of seven interrelated projects that will deliver heavy rail proposals at Kent Station.

The €8m project will see John Cradock Ltd extend Platform 5 at Kent Station and build Platform 6.

“John Cradock Ltd signed the contract recently with our CEO and works have already begun. Enabling works on the platform have already started, and we would expect to see the construction of the platform completed by quarter three of next year,” Mr Cronin said.

“So, very, very quickly, you’re going to see the results of the investment in Kent station and in the Cork area commuter rail programme.”

John Cradock previously told The Echo: “We are delighted to be awarded the Kent Station Through Platform contract. We have a long history of successful collaboration with Iarnród Éireann, both locally in Cork, and all across the country.

“We look forward to delivering this challenging scheme, which is a key element of the wider Cork Area Commuter Rail project, which will deliver significant benefit to the local community.”

The construction of an additional platform at Kent Station is welcomed by Iarnród Éireann CEO Jim Meade.

Mr Meade said: “The construction of a through platform at Kent Station, along with the broader package of improvements that are planned for Cork, will significantly enhance and improve the existing rail infrastructure and offer public transport users a more efficient and reliable rail service.

“In partnership with John Cradock Ltd, we look forward to completing this critical piece of infrastructure for the Cork metropolitan area and are delighted to highlight this milestone in delivering a more sustainable transport network for Ireland.”

Although the Kent Station development will be completed by the third quarter of next year, further progress will be made over the next 10 years.

“I describe it as a ‘Decade of Delivery’: The rail network in Cork will transform and you will see a very, very significant change in the network and the services that we provide, as well as the frequency of those services and new infrastructure to support those commutes,” Mr Cronin said.

“Over the next 10 years, but, as I say, the first of those projects are already under way, you will start to see the development of the network in Cork and it will be a transformation.”