- Planning permission granted for new railway station at Kilbarry in Cork’s Blackpool
- Station features 120-metre platforms, covered footbridge, lifts and stairs
- Includes 83-space park-and-ride and 59 bicycle spaces
- Construction expected to start in 2027 and take up to two years
- Part of €1bn Cork Area Commuter Rail programme with eight new stations
Planning permission has been granted for a new railway station in Cork’s Blackpool, forming part of Irish Rail’s Cork Area Commuter Rail programme. The new station at Kilbarry, overlooking Blackpool, will be one of eight new stations that will ultimately see trains run between Mallow, Midleton and Cobh every ten minutes. More than €1bn in funding is provided for the development of the network as part of the updated National Development Plan allocations.
The planned station comprises 120-metre platforms on either side of the Cork-Mallow line linked by a covered footbridge with lifts and stairs. A second universal-access entrance will be created from Redforge Road via a 21-metre lift shaft. The station will include an 83-space park-and-ride and 59 bicycle spaces, with road upgrades included at the Dublin Hill Road Middle junction along with a relocated bus stop and reconfigured maintenance compound.
Work is nearing completion on adding a second track between Midleton and Glounthaune along with signalling upgrades, while a new €23m platform at Kent Station opened last year. A separate planning application for a rail station at Dunkettle was lodged during the summer and is currently awaiting a planning decision. Construction on both Blackpool and Dunkettle stations is expected to start in 2027 and take up to two years.
