Cork-Midleton line opening next month
 

At least it is according to the front page of the Evening Echo

Imagine that announcement being made during an election campaign...

I have to say, having seen the road bridge being constructed over the railway line and the Lower Glanmire Road in Cork, I'll be very impressed if it's ready next month.

Bridge won't be complete

The line is handed over for testing at the end of month and opening day is quoted as Monday June 29th

Well, June 29th is "next month" :rolleyes:

Has the Cork-Cobh re-signalling been done yet? Is it to be left until after opening, with the inevitable disruptions? Smacks of a rushed pre-election job if they do not have absolutely everything complete.

I thought it was just the Midleton section that will have the CTC

Midleton - Cork timetable
 

Today (25 May 2009), Noel Dempsey, Minister for Transport launched the Midleton - Cork train timetable on board 2709 @ Midleton station.

The timetable is as follows:

Midleton - Cork
Journey time: 23mins

Mon - Sat, 20 services:
07:15, 07:45, 08:15, 08:45, 09:15, 09:45 - every 60 mins @ 45mins past the hour - 18:15, 18:45, 19:45, 20:45, 21:45, 22:45

Sun, 8 services:
08:45, 10:45, 12:45, 14:30, 16:45, 17:45, 19:15, 20:45

Cork - Midleton
Mon - Sat, 20 services:
06:45, 07:15, 07:45, 08:15, 08:45, 09:15 - every 60 mins @ 15mins past the hour - 17:45, 18:15, 19:15, 20:15, 21:15, 22:15

Sun, 8 services:
08:15, 10:15, 12:15, 14:00, 16:15, 17:15, 18:30, 20:15

The timetable was available on an A4 handout @ Midleton station this morning.

Finbarr.

Do they all call at all stations enroute?

Just in time for the election eh?

Cork has yet to receive the required 2 sets of 2600 railcars to provide the service and there is no sign of them

All stations enroute called at

Stations served
 

hi,

Travel Time / Station
00:00 / Midleton
00:07 / Carrigtwohill
00:12 / Glouthaune
00:15 / Little Island
00:23 / Cork

From the A4 leaflet/handout all trains serve each station above.

Finbarr.

Hi Mark,

it was a complete election ploy this morning!!

Finbarr.

[cough],[cough],Dunboyne,[cough],[cough] :D

Well the gig today was not even communicated to IE staff, the staff in Cork have yet to receive a copy of the timetable and there aren't enough railcars in Cork to even run the current service, so on June 29th there is likely to be no train service to Midelton

The sooner this gets exposed as a pre-election stunt the better.

But it won't until after the 5th sadly

The line will be open for service on the 29th, will there actually be a service running is a different question

Just like Tom Morrisey's shuttle bus around Rush & Lusk before the last election?

Well at least in this case, there will be a service at some stage on the Midleton line.

© Irish Examiner 2009

Pure farce - you really have got to hand it to CIE and this clown of a minister they know how to turn a potential good news story into a PR disaster. Yet another example of CIE/IE being answerable to nobody. Next we can expect a dispute from drivers over operating the service - that is assuming any rolling stock can be found! :D

This radio story woke me up this morning. It's rare that I wake up laughing.

I'm told it was a very carefully planned PR stunt, all the big names rolled into town. Not only will there be the opening day, but also an official opening sometime later

This new found honesty of not knowing when the line will reopen is somewhat refreshing. There are major hurdles to jump through, finding some trains would be a good place to start

Probably a good thing they didn't give a specific date possibly clever (from their point of view) At least the people of Midleton won't be getting there hopes up.

"Ah sure some day soon we'll have a train". Farce.

Actually

Its either June 29th or July 6th

Update on the timetable

Departures Midelton are

07:15 MF
07:45 MF + Sat
08:15 MF
08:45 7DAYS
09:15 MF
09:45 MF +Sat
10:45 7DAYS
11:45 MF + Sat
12:45 7DAYS
13:45 MF + Sat
14:30 Sunday only
14:45 MF + Sat
15:45 MF + Sat
16:45 7DAYS
17:45 7DAYS
18:15 MF
18:45 MF + Sat
19:15 Sunday only
19:45 MF + Sat
20:45 7DAYS
21:45 MF + Sat
22:45 MF + Sat

Departures Cork are

06:45 MF
07:15 MF + Sat
07:45 MF
08:15 7DAYS
08:45 MF
09:15 MF + Sat
10:15 7DAYS
11:15 MF + Sat
12:15 7DAYS
13:15 MF + Sat
14:00 Sunday only
14:15 MF + Sat
15:15 MF + Sat
16:15 7DAYS
17:15 7DAYS
17:45 MF
18:15 MF + Sat
18:30 Sunday only
19:15 MF + Sat
20:15 7DAYS
21:15 MF + Sat
22:15 MF + Sat

This will be a huge improvement for people living in the catchment of Little Island and Glounthaune stations who will have up to 4tph at peak.

Is the section from Glounthaune to Midleton single or double tracked?

It's single tracked, but with double track through Carrigtwohill station.

In theory that can support up to 4 trains per hour.

I am really looking forward to this train line opening. I want to take the kids on the train with their bikes to go for a cycle in the country, but will I be able to take bikes on this service at the weekends?

Maybe I am being unfairly critical but I find it hard to believe that at this stage in the reopening a Committee member of RUI has to ask whether the Cobh Jn/Midleton section is double or single track! Be that as it may, I doubt whether the increased frequency of trains at Little Island or Cobh Junction is going to do much for passenger loadings as they are very close to Cork and and are not busy as it stands. Most of their hinterland is under the water of Cork Harbour.

Sadly Irish Rail don't like bikes, we have met them together with representatives of cyclists lots of promises but little delivered

In theory some of the trains which will run the service will carry up to 2 bikes, but happily staff seem to look the other way most of the time

Anyone watching Primetime?

It looks (to my eye), that Irish Rail laid on a special Cork - Cobh train for Miriam O'Callaghan.

Only people allowed travel out to Midelton are IE staff, RSC and DoT inspectors, no media or politicians allowed. None travelled during the PR/Election stunt

I think Mark H was talking about Cobh not Midleton.

Woops, sorry

From today's Irish Examiner:

Lines crossed for commuter train timetable

By Sean O'Riordan

Thursday, June 04, 2009

IT was supposed to be about connectivity - but Iarnród Éireann has its lines crossed again.

Unfortunately, the planned new Cork-Midleton train timetable - launched last week in a blaze of photograbbing opportunism by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey - isn't all it's cracked up to be.

On Monday week last, the minister produced the timetable but, farcically, couldn't say exactly when the €75 million service would start.

Now it also transpires that Iarnród Éireann - which prided itself on ensuring the Midleton service connected with Dublin-bound trains - was forced to admit a faux pas.

The blunder was spotted by eagle-eyed TD David Stanton, who was obviously checking "connectivity" to ensure an early morning arrival at the Dáil.

He contacted Iarnród Éireann when he noticed that the first train departing Midleton in the mornings was at approximately 7.15am.

"It would be due to arrive in Cork at 7.38am, eight minutes after the departure of the Cork to Dublin train," said Deputy Stanton said.

He pointed out that the 7.30am train from Cork to Dublin is the service most people travelling to the capital on business for the day would use.

"It makes no sense at all to make this very important service unavailable to passengers connecting from Midleton," said the FG deputy.

He pointed out that in his opinion Iarnród Éireann had got its priorities for the first trains the wrong way round.

Few people would be travelling from Cork to Midleton at that time in the morning, whereas commuter traffic in the opposite direction would be far greater,

A spokesman for Iarnród Éireann said they were looking closely at Mr Stanton's suggestion.

"I contacted Iarnród Eireann. I have been advised that they are now looking to reverse the proposed schedule, with the first train leaving from Midleton at 6.45am to arrive in Cork at 7.07am. This would have commuters from Midleton and Carrigtwohill in Kent Station with plenty of time for the Cork-Dublin service," said the deputy.

Read more: "| Irish Examiner" - http://irishexaminer.ie/ireland/line...xzz0HRjTkrGs&A

What he says makes perfect sense! Otherwise Midleton to Dublin on the current Midleton timetable means that the first train possible to Dublin is the 08:30 Cork to Mallow and then the 08:57 Tralee train to Dublin - three changes... not really appealing to anyone!

I assume though that there won't be a train overnighting in Midleton, so it would mean an earlier Cork-Midleton departure too?

Either that or it'll be sent out empty. I'd bank on the latter.

I doubt a train would overnight in Midleton, the 05:50 from Cobh to Cork, that connects with the 06:30 to Dublin runs in service to Cobh at 05:20. Something similar should be done for the Midleton line.

I live between my parents house in Midleton and my own house in Mallow. A public transport system that would have me in work (or even Cork city!) before 7am would be fantastic, unfortunately not that case! Earliest train from Mala is 07:00 and earliest bus from Midleton is also 07:00. Any election candidate (EU or local) that have graced my front door over the past few weeks, I have asked them where do they stand on it. Same stupid cr*p from all of them. Even one of the EU candidates said to me, "...well that is not really anytine to do with me, its more of a local election topic..." - I told him, a more (or total) European influence on our public transport problem would more than likely solve all our transport problems!! Sorry for the random rant :D

How much time would be saved if the first Cork-Midleton train ran express?

This whole electoral stunt ended sweetly as Fianna Fail didn't win a single seat in the 6-seater Midleton LEA.

No wonder there's no investment in new rail lines in Ireland ;)

Only a few minutes.

what if the first morning Enterprise started from Midleton ?

Sounds like a simple solution.