Iarnród Éireann applies for two new Cork stations, build from 2027

Iarnród Éireann lodged a planning application for Dunkettle station on 3 August 2026, a few weeks after the one for Blackpool; the two are the first of eight new stations in the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme and are expected to attract more than 5,200 passengers a day between them by 2035. Dunkettle is to have two platforms linked by a footbridge with lifts, 300 park-and-ride spaces and an initial 15-minute service (later up to every 5 minutes), while Blackpool gets two platforms and up to ten trains a day on the Mallow–Cork line. Construction is planned to start in 2027 and take up to two years, subject to consent and funding; a railway order application for electrification, six more stations (including Blarney, Monard and Tivoli) and a depot at Ballyrichard More is due at the end of 2026 (public consultation ran until 12 June 2026). The date is a placeholder: the article gives only a 2027 construction start and a build time of up to two years, so 31 December 2029 is used. (LOK Report, 8 May, 21 May and 6 Aug 2026)