Latest news with #CorkAreaCommuterRailProgramme
Irish Examiner
29-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Funding to electrify Cork rail reaches next EU round
The electrification of Cork's commuter rail service is amongst key investments in the Irish recovery and resilience plan included in the second payment request for €115.5m under the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility. The European Commission endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of Ireland's second payment request under the facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. Following its assessment of the payment request submitted by Ireland in December, the commission has preliminarily concluded that Ireland has satisfactorily completed the 17 milestones and targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision for the second instalment. The payment request supports six reforms and five investments that will benefit citizens and businesses in Ireland, focusing on enterprise emissions reduction, sustainable transport, carbon taxation, digitalisation in schools, businesses, and public administration, as well as ICT skills, healthcare, pensions, and housing. Flagship measures in this payment request include an investment to support the electrification of Cork rail. The Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme is a series of interrelated projects that will ultimately enable train services every 10 minutes across the Cork rail network. The recently opened Platform 6 at Kent Station, together with the Glounthaune-to-Midleton twin-track project and Cork area signalling and communications upgrades – both set for completion in 2026 – will deliver the network capacity to support 10-minute frequencies on each of Cork's three commuter lines, to Cobh, Midleton, and Mallow. Other measures include an investment to provide digital infrastructure to schools. Ireland is investing in high-speed broadband connectivity for primary schools, which will ensure that learners at primary and post-primary schools are equipped with appropriate digital skills and will contribute to addressing digital disparities in Ireland. Ireland is also accelerating the decarbonisation of the enterprise sector with the launch of the Enterprise Emissions Reduction Investment Fund, targeting manufacturing enterprises. The fund will provide support for carbon-reducing technologies, energy monitoring systems, and research and innovation. The commission has now sent its preliminary assessment of Ireland's fulfilment of the milestones to the Economic and Financial Committee (EFC), which has four weeks to deliver its opinion, after which payment to Ireland can take place. Read More Expert tells conference what Cork Luas needs to deliver on time and within cost
Irish Examiner
16-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Cork commuter rail services suspended for weekend upgrades
Rail services on the busy Cork commuter routes to Cobh and Midleton will be suspended this weekend to facilitate upgrades designed to treble capacity on the routes. All rail services from the city to Cobh and to Midleton on Saturday and Sunday will be cancelled, with limited bus transfers operating instead. The bus transfer service, running to a revised timetable, will operate between Cork and Cobh, and Cork and Midleton, across the weekend, with direct bus transfers between Cork and Fota during Fota Wildlife Park's opening hours of 9am to 6pm on both days. Customers are advised to check times before travel at or on the Iarnród Éireann app. Iarnród Éireann is shutting down the city's commuter rail services for the weekend so that it can carry out major upgrades on the routes as part of the Cork Area Commuter Rail investment programme. Engineers will complete signalling works as part of the investment, which seeks to treble the capacity of the commuter rail network. They will also work on track renewal to facilitate the twin-tracking of the line between Glounthaune and Midleton. The Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme is a series of interrelated projects that will ultimately enable train services every 10 minutes across the Cork rail network. It is funded by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility and the National Transport Authority. The recently opened Platform 6 at Kent Station, together with the Glounthaune-to-Midleton twin-track project and Cork area signalling and communications upgrades – both set for completion in 2026 – will deliver the network capacity to support 10-minute frequencies on each of Cork's three commuter lines, to Cobh, Midleton, and Mallow. The upgraded commuter rail network also includes proposals for several new stations, including at Blackpool and Monard, as outlined in the 2010 Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (CMATS). Read More Bam wins contract to build €456m M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy motorway
