Reopening of Midleton to Youghal railway line a 'no-brainer', Cork council hears
The Midleton to Cork rail line reopened in 2009, prompting repeated calls from local representatives and business figures in the years since to extend the route to Youghal. Picture: Larry Cummins
The Department of Transport is being asked to formally state its position on reopening the Midleton to Youghal railway line in East Cork after a senior Irish Rail official said there was no physical impediment to doing it.
Members of the East Cork Municipal District Council are to write to the department amid concerns the main roads in their region cannot take any more traffic and the only way of reducing car dependency is reopening the historic line.
Tailbacks on the main route in East Cork, the N25, are becoming very common around Castemartyr, on the eastern approaches to Midleton, and there are increasing delays for motorists from that region trying to access the Jack Lynch Tunnel.
The issue was raised by Social Democrats councillor Liam Quaide, who pointed out they had been previously told by senior Irish Rail official AJ Cronin that while the old line was being turned into a greenway, it was still wide enough in most places to accommodate it and a new line.
“The completion of the greenway is near and it 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, and it’s time in my view that we looked again at how we can bring this about, however challenging that may be,” he said.
Mr Quaide said it was particularly appropriate given the optimistic briefings they had received from Mr Cronin.
“Despite the epic [€215m] investment in the Dunkettle Interchange, journey times into Cork from Youghal and Midleton remain unpredictable in duration and prone to significant delays.
"Any country that has overcome traffic problems has done so mainly through large-scale public transport projects,” Mr Quaide said.
He said there was great progress being made with increased frequencies of trains between Midleton and Cork, but Youghal was getting left behind.
“The re-development of the Youghal-Midleton rail link isn't impossible, but it will be more complicated and costly now the tracks have been taken up in their entirety,” he said.
Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty said every morning there were reports on national radio about delays on the N25 and without an extension of the rail line to Youghal they will only get worse.
Independent councillor Mary Linehan-Foley described the reopening of the line as “a no-brainer”.
The train between Youghal and Cork ran for the last time in February 1963. The Midleton to Cork rail line reopened in 2009, prompting repeated calls from local representatives and business figures in the years since to extend the route to Youghal.
More than 700,000 passengers used the Cork-Midleton train last year.
