Transport Minister Eamon Ryan described the plans as “really ambitious” and “very green”.
The Government has announced plans for a new “metropolitan rail system” to be introduced in Cork.
As part of a new National Recovery and Resilience Plan valued at just under €1 billion, around €500 million is planned to go towards advancing Ireland’s efforts to go green.
Part of that €500 million is intended to be invested in Cork’s commuter rail, in order to provide significant capacity increases to the network.
This would see the construction of a through platform at Kent Station and line doubling between Glounthaune and Midleton.
It would also involve investment in re-signalling, to allow for the future electrification of the service.
Describing the Recovery and Resilience fund application that has been sent to the European Union, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan called the plans “really ambitious” and “very green”.
He stated that the €1 billion investment would be partly used to bring “a metropolitan rail system to Cork” so that the Government can “tackle the housing crisis by leading on transport-led solutions.”
A billion euro investment in our shared future. Half the fund secured for Green recovery projects including a commuter rail corridor in Cork for transport-led housing development.
Full details of the path ahead:
?https://t.co/GBRuqkU69f pic.twitter.com/C4fv5Dr7XS— Eamon Ryan (@EamonRyan) June 1, 2021
The funding is set to come as part of the European Union’s NextGenerationEU recovery package which is designed to address immediate economic and social damage brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is with a view to making post-Covid-19 Europe greener, more digital, and better fit for the current and forthcoming challenges it faces.
To see Ireland’s National Recovery and Resillience Plan in full, see here.
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