The Transport Minister says “Cork on the rise” is good for the whole country as it leads to more balanced regional development.
Eamon Ryan was speaking at the unveiling of the second phase of the Cork Area Commuter Rail Network which includes eight new stations and a higher frequency service.
The plans are part of a total 300 million euro project and will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála by the end of next year.
Speaking to RedFM news, Minister Eamon Ryan says he expects the new stations to be built in the next two to three years:
"It will be 2026 when the new trains come into service, and the question is do you send them down to Cork or not? And my answer is we do. We give Cork priority.We make sure that new services like these are the ones that get them first and we can actually test and trial them here. These new battery electric trains are world leading"