From the first trains out of Cork’s Kent Station at dawn this morning, December 14, every scheduled rail service in the Republic is running on a revised timetable. Irish Rail’s nationwide schedule overhaul—the first mid-winter change in more than a decade—affects inter-city, regional and commuter lines, with the most visible impacts on Cork’s expanding commuter network.
Peak-time Mallow-to-Cobh/Midleton services now use the recently opened Platform 6 at Kent Station, enabling cross-city journeys without changing trains and shaving up to ten minutes off trips through Cork’s suburbs. On the InterCity network, small but crucial retimings have been introduced on Dublin–Cork, Dublin–Galway, Dublin–Limerick and Dublin–Waterford routes to improve punctuality and connections with bus and ferry services.
The change also ends the autumn “leaf-fall” schedule on Dart and other commuter corridors, restoring faster acceleration profiles and normal journey times. Passengers have been told to re-check departure and arrival times, as some trains now leave a few minutes earlier than last week—a common catch-out for Monday-morning commuters. Irish Rail has pushed updates to the Iarnród Éireann app and real-time information screens, but travel managers are recommending staff set journey alerts while patterns bed in.
![Irish Rail’s new national timetable starts today—commuters urged to check departures]()
Whether you’re a daily commuter or an HR manager shuttling international assignees between offices, remember that rail schedules are only one piece of the travel-planning puzzle. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) lets companies and individual passengers check visa requirements, order documents online and track approvals in real time, ensuring that staff coming from abroad can step straight off the train and into work without immigration hiccups.
Behind the scenes, the new timetable is a precursor to the phased introduction of extra rolling stock and eventual 10-minute frequencies on Cork’s suburban network, part of the €185 million Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme. The National Transport Authority says the adjustments will provide immediate capacity for an extra 24,000 seats per week across the system at minimal cost.
For global-mobility teams relocating staff to regional offices, the message is clear: journey planning tools and relocation packs need updating immediately, particularly for workers who split their time between Dublin HQs and satellite tech or pharma hubs in Galway, Limerick and Cork. Employers offering commuting supports such as TaxSaver tickets should circulate the new schedules to avoid missed trains and lost productivity.
Peak-time Mallow-to-Cobh/Midleton services now use the recently opened Platform 6 at Kent Station, enabling cross-city journeys without changing trains and shaving up to ten minutes off trips through Cork’s suburbs. On the InterCity network, small but crucial retimings have been introduced on Dublin–Cork, Dublin–Galway, Dublin–Limerick and Dublin–Waterford routes to improve punctuality and connections with bus and ferry services.
The change also ends the autumn “leaf-fall” schedule on Dart and other commuter corridors, restoring faster acceleration profiles and normal journey times. Passengers have been told to re-check departure and arrival times, as some trains now leave a few minutes earlier than last week—a common catch-out for Monday-morning commuters. Irish Rail has pushed updates to the Iarnród Éireann app and real-time information screens, but travel managers are recommending staff set journey alerts while patterns bed in.
Whether you’re a daily commuter or an HR manager shuttling international assignees between offices, remember that rail schedules are only one piece of the travel-planning puzzle. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) lets companies and individual passengers check visa requirements, order documents online and track approvals in real time, ensuring that staff coming from abroad can step straight off the train and into work without immigration hiccups.
Behind the scenes, the new timetable is a precursor to the phased introduction of extra rolling stock and eventual 10-minute frequencies on Cork’s suburban network, part of the €185 million Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme. The National Transport Authority says the adjustments will provide immediate capacity for an extra 24,000 seats per week across the system at minimal cost.
For global-mobility teams relocating staff to regional offices, the message is clear: journey planning tools and relocation packs need updating immediately, particularly for workers who split their time between Dublin HQs and satellite tech or pharma hubs in Galway, Limerick and Cork. Employers offering commuting supports such as TaxSaver tickets should circulate the new schedules to avoid missed trains and lost productivity.
