Midleton to Youghal rail link ‘is needed’

THE need for a rail link between Midleton and Youghal has been raised by an East Cork councillor, with the municipal district to write to the Department of Transport on the matter.

Social Democrats councillor Liam Quaide told The Echo that the Midleton to Youghal greenway is near completion and will bring significant benefits to the region in the form of active travel and tourism appeal.

“The need for a rail link between Youghal and Midleton, however, has not gone away,” said Mr Quaide.

“It is time we looked again at how we can bring this about — however challenging that may be.”

A motion of his on the issue was unanimously passed at a meeting of the municipal district on Monday night.

It proposed that: ‘The East Cork MD would write to the Department of Transport for an update on a request submitted in April 2023 for a detailed report on the planning and cost considerations of re-instating the Midleton-Youghal rail link in light of the greenway development, recognising the necessity of the rail link for sustainable regional development and with a view to clarifying and overcoming the challenges of working towards both the rail link and greenway as part of East Cork’s transport network.”

It comes as the MD was given “optimistic briefings” during the last council term from delivery manager with Irish Rail, AJ Cronin, on the width of the railway corridor and its capacity to accommodate both single-track rail and greenway for significant parts of the route.

Mr Quaide continued: “Our increasing population demands the return of the rail link, not to mention our current population needs. Despite the epic investment in the Dunkettle Interchange, journey times into Cork from Youghal and Midleton remain unpredictable in duration and prone to significant delays.

“No matter how many lanes or junctions we build, the same principle applies as with the M50 — those roads will just fill up with more traffic. Any country that has overcome traffic problems has done so mainly through large-scale investment in public transport and active travel in urban centres.”

Mr Quaide welcomed “serious progress” with increased frequencies of trains between Midleton and Cork, saying: “This will be further enhanced by the twin-tracking between Midleton and Glounthane. But Youghal is getting left behind. What is needed from the Department of Transport is a breakdown of the costs and the practical considerations of redeveloping a rail link between Midleton and Youghal which would co-exist with the greenway. Compulsory purchase order and planning implications should be enquired about, as well as what a realistic timeframe for completion could be.

“We sought these details in 2023. I’d ask that we follow this request up now with the Department of Transport.”

He suggested the MD also agree that the reopening of the rail link between Midleton and Youghal is a key strategic aim for over the coming term, that it be included in the next County Development Plan, and a delegation visit the Oireachtas transport committee on the issue.