Glounthaune Midleton track laying underway

Roughly the distance between them 2 machines

green_jesus wrote: »

Last time I was down (end of august) they were putting up new signalling near Glounthaune (Cobh Junction) but the tracks only went as far as the first over bridge. Its double track but for some reason it’s being layed by hand and has joins as opposed to continuous welded rail also towards the over bridge end the sleepers turn from concrete to wood.
Is the line all going to be double track?

Old Carrigtwohill station had been removed (apart from the station building which for some reason they're doing up) and the two up and down platforms of the new station were in place on the on other side of the bridge. No tracks yet.

In Midleton they had stripped the station and were in the process of putting in a new roof. Nothing had been done about the proposed level crossing. No sign of any tracks yet.

I’m sorry that i didn’t take any photos.

Does anyone have any info on how this has progressed since???

The laying of track was about to start in full last week, but has been delayed due to unofficial action taken by Iarnrod Eireann permanent way workers. The employees concerned are now being faced with dismissal. One has now returned to work.

Copies of the ongoing media coverage are at:
http://irnirishrailwaynews.yuku.com/topic/405?page=10

Some good photos of the ongoing work are at the following link:
http://thewanderersirishrailphotos.fotopic.net/c1587296.html

The line will be double track for a short distance beyond Glounthaune Junction, and will then be single track to Midleton except for a 1 km dynamic loop at Carrigtwohill and two platforms in Midleton.

It will be capable of offering a 15 minute frequency to/from Midleton if required. Initial plans are for a 30 minute peak frequency and 60 minutes off-peak.

So is the strike off so? Did'nt look promising reading this article:
http://www.examiner.ie/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=ireland-qqqm=ireland-qqqa=ireland-qqqid=74338-qqqx=1.asp

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Rail workers face sack over picket

By Sean O’Riordan
A THREAT to sack 13 line maintenance workers could cause a strike that would paralyse the national rail network.


Iarnród Éireann has informed the workers they will be dismissed if they don’t call off unofficial action that has held up a €105 million commuter rail project for the past two weeks.

If the 10 SIPTU members and three from the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) do not report for work today they will be dismissed by the company.


“The unofficial strikers have been given one final opportunity to avoid loosing their jobs. In order to so they must return to work,” said an Iarnród Éireann spokeswoman.

The company admitted the move was almost unprecedented, as it has not threatened to dismiss so many staff in one go since the 1970s.

But railway bosses said they need to commence work on the Cork-Midleton line, which is due to reopen next spring. The line maintenance workers have been mounting a 24-hour picket since September 23, following a dispute over who should lay the track.

The men claimed it was their job, but the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) ruled the work should be carried out by the appointed contractor and staff from Iarnród Éireann’s new works department.

The men claim they should be compensated for losing the work.

As a result of the picket, Iarnród Éireann also decided to postpone the planned upgrading of six stations and 11 platforms on the Cork-Cobh line.

This €5m project has been postponed indefinitely.

Although the workers are involved in unofficial action, it is feared their colleagues will take industrial action in support of them if the railway company carries out the threat. It is understood union shop stewards are to meet with Iarnród Éireann management at Liberty Hall, Dublin, today to discuss the issue.

However, the decision to issue the threat before this meeting is being seen as provocative by the colleagues of the 13 workers.

Earlier this week, a member of the NBRU decided to abandon the picket and reported back to work.

Since the unofficial action began, the workers have been taken off the Iarnród Éireann payroll.

In the meantime, Iarnród Éireann management says it has engaged in informal discussions with both SIPTU and NBRU representatives in an attempt to resolve the dispute.

presumably the 13 staff would be doing something else if not working on Midleton, so what would they be "losing out" on exactly? Overtime? Or is it the notion that they would be eventually declared surplus and all line maintenance handed over to outside firms?

The cork lads job is track maintenance. The work going on down there is not their work, they are stopping fellow irish rail staff from working and staff have to be re deployed or let go due to lack of work for them due to this unofficial protest. No contractor or new works staff are maintaining their stretch of track. Its all about trying to get money for nothing with them, some have been promoted and moved to new works for the duration of the works but still they whinge. They claim that the upgrade work is their right yet they have no problem with a temporary worker filling their place in the gangs to do maintenance work while they move to new works.
There is no overtime anymore on the per way, you either work 2 saturdays in a 8 week period or every second saturday if you work 5/7.
They were offered 4 hours extra pay a week for letting new works on their stretch but they refused it saying that they should be doing p.i.c.o.p duties. Now, the picop allowance is only €16.90 for a week or part therof, 4 hours is roughly € 60 a week for the duration of works which would be roughly 2 years and they wouldnt have to do anything extra for it and everyone in the gang would get it but only the senior man gets the picop allowance.
The only extra money they would get is for night working but they wont work more than 8 week of nights in a year and wont work friday nights and god forbid if it rains a bit. Im all for fair play and would be the first to stand up for anyone who was losing out but they are losing nothing. They say that new works staff are contractors which they are NOT. Irish rail is sick of them, per way lads are sick of them and the unions are sick of them. SACK THEM .

Judgement Day wrote: »

Someone in CIE/IE must have shares in the company that makes the awful, souless galavanised fencing that dominates today's railway landscape!

I agree with you to a point, however as always when it comes to the interface between CIE and the localities they serve I blame the local authorities here a bit.

IE's mandate is to secure the track from incursion in a cost-effective manner - the days where the railway companies were permitted to enhance the public realm with their infrastructure, such as the architecturally significant hotels and stations, are sadly gone.

If I were Midleton UDC, for example, I would offer IE whatever the monetary difference was between galvanised paling and either attractive wood/wood composite fencing or a living wall sound barrier of equivalent security.

it's a bit of an odd spot for a p&r though - you're really only targetting people coming down the N8/M8 because people on the N25 should be P&Ring from Midleton/Carrigtwohill and that site isn't easily accessed from the N8 IIRC.

A feeder bus and cycle lanes from Glanmire village to the P&R should handle demand from the housing estates rather than encouraging people to drive 2-3km and clog up even an upgraded local road but unfortunately we don't do joined-up transit in Ireland...