![The abandoned Youghal railway line may never reopen.]()
The abandoned Youghal railway line may never reopen.
It is seeking permission from the Government to allow it permanently abandon 10 closed railway lines across the country. Iarnród Éireann has expressed concern that it is spending €3m per year fulfilling its statutory duty to maintain bridges, drains, fences, and crossings on routes which are unlikely to ever become economically viable again.
The Midleton-Youghal rail line last saw traffic in 1987. Regular passenger services to Youghal were withdrawn in 1963, but freight traffic and an occasional passenger train ran on the line for more than 20 years after that. The line was never formally closed.
The Cork to Midleton passenger rail line reopened in 2009 after a closure of more than 20 years, as part of a €75m investment by Government, and has proven to be effective for commuter travel.
At the time, there were calls from local representatives in Youghal for the reopening to be extended to the seaside town, but the campaign never got off the ground.
![Getting off the train in Youghal for a day at the seaside in the late 1960s.]()
Getting off the train in Youghal for a day at the seaside in the late 1960s.
However, if Irish Rail secured a permanent closure, it would end any prospect of it reopening in the future.
The proposal is likely to prove highly controversial, as closed lines are seen as potentially capable of being re-opened at some point in the future. Irish Rail pointed out that while it is no longer obliged to operate train services on closed lines, it has to carry out structural inspections on the 387 bridges located on such routes to ensure their functionality and safety.
