Restoration of a historic Cork rail line would cost in the region of €200m, Irish Rail says

By Peter McCarthy, Corkman

Reinstating the old rail line between Youghal and Midleton would take five to ten years and cost in the region of €200 million, an Irish Rail official told this month’s meeting of the East Cork Municipal District.

AJ Cronin, Delivery Manager for the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme, told the elected members that although there is currently no plan or proposal to reinstate the line between the East Cork towns, if that changes Irish Rail would be “happy” to restore it.

“However, today there is no plan, there is no policy, it is not part of the All-Ireland Strategic Rail Review, it is not part of CMATS, the Corporate Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy, to deliver a reinstated railway to Youghal. So as of today, there is no plan, there is no project to deliver a reinstated railway,” he said.

“And while I don't have a crystal ball with me today, I could say that it's quite some considerable time off before it could be delivered. Roughly, if I was provided with funding and approvals tomorrow morning, it would still take plus five to ten years to deliver a reinstated railway.”

"And on today's prices I would say it's probably plus 200 million to deliver a reinstated full railway to Youghal. So significant investment would be required, significant commitment in terms of policy, and approvals from government to deliver a project to reinstate the railway to Youghal,” Mr Cronin said.

The last passenger train from Youghal to Cork city ran in 1963 with freight trains continuing for another 20 years after that. The section of line from Midleton to Cork reopened in 2009 and is now undergoing a major upgrade that will deliver new stations and more frequent services. Meanwhile, the old Youghal to Midleton section has been converted into a greenway in a project that cost around €20m.

Mr Cronin confirmed that Irish Rail has retained the right to reinstate a railway on the land corridor currently used by the greenway. “As part of the licence agreement that we put in place with Cork County Council and TII [Transport Infrastructure Ireland] for the delivery of the greenway project, there is a clause that allows us to reinstate a railway to Youghal at some time in the future,” he said.

A group campaigning for the reopening of the line has met with politicians and Irish Rail officials. The East Cork Rail Alliance argues that the railway to Youghal would alleviate traffic congestion in Cork city and along the N25 road, reducing commuting times and improving the overall quality of life for residents.

Mr Cronin said Irish Rail fully supports the greenway but if a decision is made to restore the train to Youghal, “Iarnród Eireann will have no issue whatsoever reinstating a railway line. We're really, really happy to do that. But today there is no plan, there is no funding and there is no approval to do so. And I don't have the crystal ball or the magic wand to change policy. That's in the gift of the politicians and government to do that.”