Services stopped on country’s main line due to flooding and signalling issues

12:03, 11 Nov 2025Updated 12:21, 11 Nov 2025

Kent Station, Cork(Image: Kent Station, Cork)

Passengers aboard a packed train from Cork to Dublin had an unusual journey this morning, as flooding blocked the line between Cork and Mallow and efforts by Irish Rail to clear the tracks caused suspensions and delays.

Several passengers contacted CorkBeo after Irish Rail announced services were suspended between Cork and Dublin this morning – Irish Rail has told passengers they will use buses to get them between Cork and Mallow. Passengers are advised to check on departure times and services with Irish Rail today.

The crowd that got on the 10.25 Cork-Dublin service were delayed, then brought through the tunnel, then left sitting on the other side within view of the city for around 45 minutes.

The train then reversed back into Cork’s Kent Station, and they were all disembarked and told they would have to take buses to Mallow to connect with another train heading from Kerry to Dublin.

However, after 20 minutes of sitting on the two buses outside the train station, the passengers were then ordered back off the buses and back onto the train, which sat there for another 30 minutes before finally, finally leaving. The knock-on effects – combined with reported flooding on the line – caused chaos for trains between the capital and Cork, and this follows weeks of disruption to services, which have left some passengers fuming.

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One passenger on the Cork train this morning told CorkBeo: “It was bizarre, it really didn’t feel like anybody knew what was actually happening and we were just being moved around in a big crowd”.

“It started when we had to go to a different platform. There was a train on the line that looked like a mechanical thing, and they sent that up the line ahead of us. Then, when we finally moved off, we got to the other side of the tunnel and sat there for 45 minutes before we reversed back into Kent Station.”

“They told us we’d have to get off, go through the station and get onto two buses that would take us to Mallow. We did, we were sitting on the buses for about 20 minutes and then they said; “Sorry, everybody has to get back on the train”. So I did, and the coffee I’d left when I got off the first time around was still there at my seat”.

“It sounds a bit funny but it was tough on some of the passengers. There was one lady with mobility issues and she was very upset, she said she wouldn’t be getting off the bus unless they could guarantee her that the train would actually be leaving this time. In fairness to her, you could see she was struggling.”

“The staff at the station were great, they tried to help, but it really felt like they didn’t know what was happening next and – as usual at Kent Station – it felt like there was no one in charge, no proper announcements or information, just staff and passengers milling around trying to figure out what was happening and what to do next.”

“We were getting off the bus, to get back on the train – and there were passengers for the next Dublin train trying to get on. It was all a bit mad.”

CorkBeo has contacted Irish Rail about this issue and we will update this story as we get more information.