Cork Will Face Year-Long Train Disruptions
The Irish city of Cork will experience a year of train disruptions due to major railway infrastructure works and upgrades to the city’s station.
Cork train disruptions
According to the online newspaper Cork Beo, commuters and rail travellers will face major disruptions throughout the coming year when travelling by train to or from Cork.
Due to the large number of infrastructure projects, including work on railway lines in the Cork area and upgrades to Cork Kent Station, rail travellers may encounter train cancellations and replacement bus services.
Train at Cork Kent station. ©Paliparan
Commuter lines east
Rail travellers on the railway line east of Cork Kent Station towards Midleton, as well as on the branch line to Cobh, can expect disruptions until December 2025.
Iarnród Éireann (IÉ), the national railway company of the Republic of Ireland, is upgrading the line east of Cork from single track to double track, with construction works causing disruptions between Glounthaune and Midleton.
On most days, only evening services will be cancelled as the track works are scheduled during the evening and nighttime hours.
However, on 15th and 16th February 2025, as well as on 17th and 18th May, all trains between Cork, Cobh, and Midleton will be cancelled.
The goal is to eventually have trains running every 10 minutes into Cork on this railway line by 2026.
Cork station projects
Other infrastructure projects include the construction of a sixth platform at Cork Kent station and resignalling works on the railway lines.
On the 16th of February, that also means that no trains will run between Cork and Mallow, impacting Cork-Dublin and Cork-Tralee services.
The line will also be closed on the evenings of 1st and 29th March.
During the May Bank Holiday weekend of 3rd and 4th May, the line will be closed as well due to works on the Cork railway tunnel.
Summer works
The dates mentioned above aren’t the only ones when railway lines around Cork will be closed to train traffic.
Iarnród Éireann has already announced several days during the summer and autumn when train services around Cork will be disrupted.
You can find a complete overview of all the planned track works on the Iarnród Éireann website, which offers a detailed breakdown of the closed sections of the line by date and a brief explanation of the ongoing engineering works.
Note that these dates are subject to change, and additional dates for infrastructure works are likely to be added in the near future.
If you live in County Cork or plan to visit in 2025, it’s advisable to check the website to see if these railway works might impact your travels.
As part of the works, a new platform will be constructed at Cork Kent station. ©Paliparan
Bus replacement service
If a railway line is closed due to infrastructure works, Iarnród Éireann will provide a replacement bus service.
Conclusion
Throughout 2025, significant disruptions to train services to and from Cork are expected due to multiple infrastructure projects.
This will primarily impact commuters on the railway lines east of Cork Kent station to Midleton and Cobh.
However, on some dates, infrastructure works will also affect the railway line from Cork to Mallow, disrupting services to Dublin and Tralee.
