Public consultation on proposed new train depot near East Cork town

Iarnród Éireann has launched a consultation on how a proposed train depot at Ballyrichard More near Midleton will be accessed.

The depot will be for stabling and maintenance as part of Phase 2 of the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme, which includes eight new stations and the full electrification of the Cork rail network.

The project was designated as ‘critical infrastructure’ by the Government last month.

Planning permission has already been lodged for the first two stations, one at Kilbarry near Blackpool, and one in Dunkettle which also includes a park and ride facility.

The new public consultation for a revised preferred option for an access road to the depot at Ballyrichard More comes in response to local knowledge and insights provided during the second public consultation for the overall project, which took place in May.

A revised proposal for the depot access road has now been developed, primarily utilising the existing road network, as opposed to implementing a new dedicated road access point as previously proposed.

The consultation is live until Wednesday, September 9.

10-minute rail service

The new depot at Ballyrichard More will cater for the required electrified fleet to ultimately support a 10-minute rail service for Cork, and vehicular access is required to support staff access and depot operations.

A drop-in consultation event will take place on September 2 between 4pm and 8pm at MyPlace in Midleton, where interested parties can call in to discuss the revised proposals with members of the project team.

Further information on what is being proposed, as well as details on how to make a submission on the updated proposal, can be found on the Irish Rail website.

Feedback received during this additional local consultation will help to finalise project proposals before a railway order is lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála at the end of this year.

All submissions received during the earlier consultations for the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme have been reviewed and incorporated into the project development, where possible.

No other changes to the proposed works are as substantive as the revised depot access road proposal, so additional consultation will not take place for other areas at this time, but there will be a further public consultation period on the whole project when the Railway Order Application is submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála in late 2026.