An investment of over €91m on the Cork to Dublin rail line aimed at cutting journey times by up to 10 minutes has been broadly welcomed.
The Transport Minister unveiled the significant funding which will be spent on line improvements between the two cities which will cut journey times by 8 to 10 minutes.
The upgrade to cut journey times between Cork and Dublin will futureproof the route to accommodate 200 kilometre an hour speeds at a later stage.
Irish Rail has welcomed the investment which it's described as "very positive" for commuters and means the company can work towards their goal of a two-hour journey time on their busiest and flagship Intercity route.
The investment will also lead to more jobs being created, more services on the route, and help to ensure that transport in Ireland develops more sustainably
It is estimated that up to 150 jobs will be created over the next two years up to 2023 with an additional 55 jobs in 2024
The roles would be along the route between Portlaoise and Cork dependent on works at the time.
Once the project is underway the substantial works mean there will be some disruption to services but Irish Rail say these disruptions will be predominantly limited to the quieter times at the weekend
This latest announcement comes on foot of a €184m investment announced in commuter rail this year with a view to 10-minute frequency commuter rail services between Mallow, Cork, Cobh and Midleton. That work is already underway at Kent Station and on the rail line.
