[Article] Midleton Rail Line to Open

[Mark Hennessy]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...breaking27.htm

Cork-Midleton rail line to open
A new commuter rail service linking Midleton and Cork will officially open today.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey will travel on the first passenger train on the line from Kent Station in Cork to Midleton at 12.15pm, and will open the new stations at Carrigtwohill and Midleton. Members of the public can travel on the new service free of charge for the day.

The new service represents an investment of €75 million in infrastructure under the Government’s Transport 21 Strategy.

Cork Chamber president Ger O’Mahoney said the line would have a "significant impact" on public transport infrastructure in the Cork region, and would bring major economic benefits and facilitate the development of areas identified for growth in the Cork Area Strategic Plan (CASP).

However, a spokesman for campaign group Rail Users Ireland said there was still a long way to go before residents of Midleton and Carrigtwohill got a "21st century rail service”, with new signalling yet to be installed, and bus substitutions included on the timetable.

“Despite a four-week closure of the Cork-Cobh line in 2008 in part to facilitate the building of the Midleton line, the new Midleton line is not complete and will open with temporary signalling arrangements," said spokesman Mark Gleeson.

"As a result the Midleton line, together with the Cobh line will require at least one to two days’ closure whilst the new points and signalling are installed and commissioned later this year. All of this disruption could have been avoided easily by Irish Rail if the work had been carried out in 2008.”

Two trains each way will be substituted for bus services at night, according to the timetable.

[Mark Hennessy]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0730/rail.html

Looks like the "first" passenger train isn't open to the people who might actually use the service, we wouldn't want Noel having to mingle with locals now would we?

The Minister will travel with a number of guests on the first passenger train on the new line at 12.15pm.

He will travel from Kent Station in Cork city to Midleton, opening the new stations at Carrigtwohill and Midleton.

To mark the occasion, travel on the new service will be free to the public for today. Public services will operate from 1.15pm this afternoon.

[ACustomer]

I thought Dempsey opened the line earlier in the year. Could that possibly have been in the run-up to a local election?

[Mark Gleeson]

Its pretty mad down here in Midleton, extra trains put on to cope and some delays due to very large crowds

[dowlingm]

Unsurprising - a populace being screwed by its government is bound to jump at anything free even if it's not actually needed. Crowds of people with nothing better to do at lunchtime on Friday than take a free train - a microcosm of the economy generally.