Cork Kent railway station

For other locations called Kent Station, see Kent Station (disambiguation).

Kent Station (Irish: Stáisiún Cheannt) is an Iarnród Éireann railway station in Cork, Ireland. Originally opened in 1893, the station operates as a hub for Intercity services to Dublin and Tralee and commuter services to Mallow, Cobh and Midleton. In 2016, Kent Station was the fifth busiest station in the Republic of Ireland, as well as the busiest outside of Dublin.^[1]

Cork Kent Stáisiún Cheannt
Cork Kent railway station in 2009
General information
Location	Lower Glanmire Road, Cork, T23 E6TD, Ireland
Coordinates	51°54′06″N 8°27′32″W / 51.901786°N 8.458829°W / 51.901786; -8.458829
Owned by	Iarnród Éireann
Operated by	Iarnród Éireann
Platforms	5
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Other information
Station code	30
Key dates
1893	Station opened as Glanmire Road
1966	Renamed as Kent Station
Location

Background

Name

 

Bust of Thomas Kent at the station, by sculptor James MacCarthy

The station was originally called Glanmire Road Station, but was renamed after Thomas Kent in 1966 on the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising.

History

See also: Cork railway tunnel

 

The station, ca. 1893.

The station opened on 2 February 1893 and the current building was built in the same year. The station replaced two earlier stations that served as separate termini for the Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) and Cork & Youghal Railway (C&Y). The original GS&WR station, Penrose Quay, was located directly in front of the portal of the Cork railway tunnel through which the railway into Cork passed, while Cork Summerhill, the original C&Y terminus was above the tunnel portal. The purpose of the new station was to allow through running of trains after the 1865 takeover of the C&Y by the GS&WR. The station is the only one of the six Cork railway stations that still exists today.

The station served as a filming location for the 1979 movie The First Great Train Robbery starring Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland and Lesley-Anne Down.

On 24 February 2012, the station briefly shut due to a gas leak.^[2]

On 18 December 2013, the canopy over platforms 1 and 2 collapsed in high winds; there was damage to one train and one person suffered minor injuries.^[3][4] In February 2014, €2.8 million was allocated to repair the canopy.^[5]

v t e Dublin–Cork
Legend
Phoenix Park Tunnel to Dublin Connolly     Luas Red Line to Dublin Connolly & The Point         Dublin Heuston             Luas Red Line to Tallaght & Saggart         Inchicore Works       Park West and Cherry Orchard †   Clondalkin/Fonthill †   Kishoge unused   Lucan (south) 1947   Adamstown †   Hazelhatch and Celbridge †   Straffan 1947   Sallins and Naas †   Newbridge   Curragh Racecourse 1977   Curragh Mainline 1999   Kildare     Dublin–Waterford Line   Monasterevin †   Portarlington     Dublin–Westport/Galway line   Portlaoise     to Kilkenny 1962     Laois Traincare Depot   Mountrath 1976     Limerick–Ballybrophy line   Ballybrophy   Lisduff 1963   Templemore   Thurles   Goold's Cross 1976     to Cashel 1954   Dundrum 1976       Limerick–Rosslare line to Limerick Colbert and Rosslare   Limerick Junction   Emly 1963   Knocklong 1977   Kilmallock 1977   Charleville   Buttevant 1977   Mallow     Mallow–Tralee Line   Mourne Abbey 1963   Rathduff 1976   Blarney (GSW) 1963   Cork Kent   Cork–Cobh/Midleton line † Not served by services from Dublin to Cork

v t e Mallow-Youghal/ Cobh railway line
Legend
Dublin to Cork mainline     Mallow-Waterford line (closed)   Mallow     Mallow–Tralee line   Mourne Abbey (closed)   Rathduff (closed)   Blarney (closed)   Cork Kent   Tivoli (closed)   Dunkettle (closed)   Little Island   Glounthaune         Carrigtwohill     Midleton     Mogeely (closed)     Killeagh (closed)     Youghal (closed)   Fota   Carrigaloe   Rushbrooke   Cobh

Site improvements

Planning permission was granted by Cork City Council in July 2013 for a new entrance building onto Horgan's Quay and a new bi-directional road linking Railway Street/Alfred Street and Horgan's Quay. The plan also included bus shelters, a car park with 140 spaces and a set-down area accessed from Horgan's Quay for taxis and buses.^[6] In February 2014, €3 million was allocated towards implementing phase one including site works and detailed planning. Work began in summer 2014.^[7]

In September 2014, Irish Rail submitted a new application for two rather than one entrance building onto the quayside.^[8][9] Planning permission was granted, and Irish Rail put the entrance building project out to tender in early 2015. Construction commenced in summer 2015, and was expected to complete in approximately 12 months.^[10] However, works took longer and the entrances were officially opened in November 2017.^[11][12] In parallel, a new road project (for use by buses),^[11] commenced in early 2016 with its opening coinciding with the completion of the entrance building contract in November 2017.^[13] Bus Éireann now carries passengers from the new entrance to the city centre and beyond.^[14][15]

Engine no. 36

 

Engine No. 36

GS&WR Class 21 No. 36 has been on permanent display at the station since 1950. "Engine No. 36" dates from 1847 and is on display on a viewing platform in the booking hall. It was restored and moved to its current position by Iarnród Éireann in 2007.^[16]

Originally built by Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy of Liverpool at a cost of £1,955, the engine was obtained by the Great Southern and Western Railway to run services from Dublin to Cork. It has a 2-2-2 wheel arrangement, and remained in service until 1874. The engine was displayed at the Cork International Exhibition in 1902, the Railway Centenary Exhibition in 1925, and the bi-centenary of the Royal Dublin Society at Ballsbridge in 1930.^[16]

Services

The station offers direct intercity rail services to Heuston Station and stations in Kerry such as Killarney, Farranfore (for Kerry Airport) and Tralee. Cork Suburban Rail services follow the Cobh and Mallow lines. Since July 2009, a commuter line also operates to Midleton.^[17]

The station has three terminating platforms, numbered 1 to 3 (in the Cobh direction), and two through platforms, numbered 4 and 5. The only platform not directly accessible from the station concourse, platform 5, is accessed through a subway, unlike most other Irish stations, which use footbridges. Until the mid-1990s, the through platforms were numbered 5 and 6, as there had been a fourth terminating platform adjacent to platform 3; it was removed in 1984.

Since December 2005's timetable change, the through platforms tend to get quite congested as commuter trains often come in together, clogging up limited space. Since the reopening of the Cork & Youghal Railway as far as Midleton, increased use has been made of the terminating platforms 1 to 3.^{[citation needed]} There is also a loop line behind platform 5, which used to be used to facilitate moving locomotives from the end of arriving trains to the other end in preparation for departure. This line used to be a double-tracked freight, avoiding the line that enabled goods trains to bypass the passenger station. It is no longer necessary since all services to the station are operated either by railcars or by Mark 4 sets with a driving van trailer.^{[citation needed]}

In 2017, the Cork to Dublin reached record usage of 3.15 million passengers, up 6.5% from 2016.^[18]

Bus services

As of May 2017, three Bus Éireann services use Kent Station as a terminus:

• 205:^[19] Kent Station – Cork City Centre – University College Cork – Munster Technological University
• 226:^[20] Kent Station – Parnell Place Bus Station – Cork Airport – Kinsale
• 225:^[20] Kent Station – Parnell Place Bus Station – Cork Airport - Ballygarvan - Carrigaline - Haulbowline

Some other Bus Éireann services use a stop across from the station on Lower Glanmire Road, which is listed on timetables as "Lwr Glanmire Rd (Opp Kent Station)". These include:

• 241:^[21] Parnell Place Bus Station – Midleton – Whitegate – Trabolgan Holiday Village
• 260:^[22] Parnell Place Bus Station – Youghal – Ardmore

Parnell Place Bus Station is approximately a 750m walk from Kent Station.

Gallery

•  

  The booking hall

•  

  Main train shed

•  

  Dublin service waiting to depart

•  

  Earlier Penrose Quay & Summerhill stations

See also

• List of railway stations in Ireland

References

1. "National Heavy Rail Census Report 2016" (PDF). nationaltransport.ie. September 2017. (PDF) from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
2. "Kent Station reopens after gas leak fears". RTÉ News. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
3. Ryan, Nicky; Christine Bohan. "Updated: Cork train station reopens after roof collapse". TheJournal.ie. from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
4. "Investigation Report 2014-R005" (PDF). Railway Accident Investigation Unit. 7 November 2014. (PDF) from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
5. "CORK'S KENT STATION ALLOCATED €3 MILLION FOR ROOF REPAIRS – MINISTER KELLY". Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Press release). 12 February 2014. from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
6. "Planning application details ref: 1335599". Cork City Council. 16 June 2013. from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
7. English, Eoin (20 February 2014). "Kent station revamp part of €8.5m public transport plan". Irish Examiner. from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
8. "Planning application details ref: 1436130". Cork City Council. 30 October 2014. from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
9. "Facelift planned for Cork's Kent Station". Irish Examiner. 2 September 2014. from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
10. . Evening Echo. 17 June 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2015.
11. "€10m revamp for Cork's Kent station unveiled". Irish Examiner. 27 November 2017. from the original on 29 November 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
12. Healy, Alan (10 November 2017). "Horgan's Quay entrance to Kent Station ready to open". Evening Echo. from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
13. Roche, Barry (16 February 2015). "€3m Cork railway station upgrade set to in crease numbers using mainline and commuter services". The Irish Times. from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
14. . Evening Echo. 23 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017.
15. "Kent Railway Station, New Entrance Building & Subway, Cork". SIAC Construction. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
16. "Engine No. 36". Iarnród Éireann (display board at Cork Kent Station). from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
17. O'Brien, Ciara (30 July 2009). "Cork-Midleton rail line opens". The Irish Times. from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
18. "Record number of passengers used Cork to Dublin rail line in 2017". 27 January 2018. from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
19. (PDF). Bus Éireann. 30 August 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
20. (PDF). Bus Éireann. 25 September 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
21. (PDF). Bus Éireann. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
22. (PDF). Bus Éireann. 24 October 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.

External links

• Irish Rail - Details of Kent Station

Preceding station	Iarnród Éireann			Following station
Terminus		InterCity Cork-Tralee		Mallow
Mallow		InterCity Dublin-Cork Main Line		Terminus
		Commuter Cork-Mallow
Terminus		Commuter Cork-Cobh/Midleton		Little Island

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