Contract tender issued for Midleton railway expansion
The twin track could increase frequency on the Glounthane/Midleton line from 30 minutes to ten minutes, enabling up to six trains per hour per direction, up from the current two.
The future expansion of the Glounthane to Midleton railway line will add a significant benefit to east Cork.
Iarnród Éireann has issued tender documents for a major upgrade to the rail line which has been described as a “very positive” development according to Midleton Chamber, which could triple the frequency of trains on the line.
Irish Rail has this week invited applications for companies seeking to win the contract to construct a second railway track between Glounthane and Midleton.
The project involves laying a second railway line along the 10km route, the provision of a new sidings/turn back facility at Midleton station, as well as other works relating to track layouts, cable containment routes, and signalling upgrades and alterations.
The twin-track project is funded by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and forms part of the NTA’s Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (CMATS) to transform suburban rail services in Cork.
The twin track could increase frequency on the Glounthane/Midleton line from 30 minutes to ten minutes, enabling up to six trains per hour per direction, up from the current two.
Adrianna Hegarty, President of Midleton and Area Chamber, said that the call for tenders is a welcome development in a “very positive” project for the town, as well as for Carrigtwohill which is also on the same rail line between Midleton and Glounthane.
“When that would come on board, trains could be every 10 minutes more frequent… it’s a positive, very positive,” she said.
“Midleton is growing very fast, and I suppose Carrigtwohill is the biggest growing town in county Cork, there’s 450 plus new houses being planned between Midleton and Carrigtwohill. So it would take a lot of traffic off the road too, it would help everything,” she added.
Ms Hegarty said that the increased frequency will make Midleton even more attractive as an already growing commuter town, as well as allowing greater transport links for tourists who are attracted to Midleton to visit the likes of the Jameson Distillery.
Irish Rail is currently accepting Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQs) on the E-tenders portal and has said that all submissions and supporting documentation should be uploaded no later than 31 May.
However, in a timeline given by Irish Rail for the project, it says the aim is to award a contract and begin construction by April of this year.
It is expected that the project will take 30 months to complete, being finished by August 2026.
