Green light for €140m Middleton railway line

Ralph Riegel in the Irish Examiner writes that planners have given the green light to what will be Ireland's first new rail line in almost 100 years.
Transport Minister Martin Cullen is now set to sanction the €140m redevelopment of the Cork-Midleton line which in its first year of operation is expected to handle almost two million passengers.
When completed, the new rail line will provide services from Cork to Dunkettle, Carrigtwohill and Midleton.
Iarnrod Eireann has for years been planning the re-opening of the Cork-Midleton link which, while totally disused for the past 18 years, dates back to the Great Southern Railways era in 1860. It is now hoped the line could be operational by 2010 - though planning and consultative delays could push that date back.
The Cork-Midleton re-opening will involve the redevelopment of a 10km stretch of railway line.
Under the ambitious plan, two new stations will also be built at Carrigtwohill and Midleton.