Planning sought for two new train stations

Planning permission is to be submitted for a new train station at Blackpool as part of Iarnród Éireann’s Cork Commuter Rail Project.

Permission is also expected to be lodged for a new station in Dunkettle within weeks.

The station at Blackpool will be served by trains on the Mallow to Cork route.

It will initially be serviced by up to ten trains per day, and Iarnród Éireann said that the ambition is to increase this once the programme is complete.

It will feature two platforms connected by a pedestrian footbridge, and provide accessible parking for cars, electric vehicles, motorcycles, bicycle stands and lockers, and set down areas.

Dunkettle is set to be a major park and ride served by both the Cobh and Midleton trains, with space for 300 vehicles. The station is set to be similar in size and have the same facilities as in Blackpool.

Both stations will include infrastructure to support a fully electrified rail network as part of a broader electrification strategy from Iarnród Éireann.

Daily traveller numbers at both locations are set to exceed 5,200 by 2035.

Construction

Construction on both sites is expected to begin by 2027, and take approximately two years.

Chair of Cork City Council’s Transport SPC Peter Horgan said that the news was very welcome and a testament to the work of AJ Cronin - Delivery Manager for the project - and his team. He said that the project was “a template of what can be achieved with public transport for Cork”.

However, he criticised that the route would not be serving the southside of the city.

“However, it’s a positive day for the metropolitan area of Cork and I hope the planning process will work to assist delivery of badly needed infrastructure.”

The stations at Blackpool and Dunkettle will be two of eight new stations being put forward under the plan, with plans for stops at Blarney/Stoneview, Monard, Tivoli, Carrigtwohill West, and Water-Rock, and Ballynoe.

There are also plans for a new platform at Kent Station. The completed project is expected to have a service frequency of ten minutes, and more integrated options between park & ride facilities, buses, the new Cork Luas project, and cycleways. There is also a planned full electrification of the network in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. This will be joined by a new maintenance depot for the area to support a new electric fleet.

This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.