Area Events
Behind the Scenes at Metrolink ’ s Queens Road Depot
On 12th September 2024 , eight fortunate CIRO members in the North West and Wales region joined CIRO Area Council members for a behind-the scenes tour at Metrolink Queens Road depot ’ s where they gained firsthand view of the training and maintenance activities .
Since its grand opening by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1992 , Metrolink has come a long way , though investment and growth . With its 7 destination points , 106 stops its fleet of 147 trams has covered over 73.3 million miles ( 118 million kilometres ), with the new fleet of vehicles approaching 1.24 million miles ( 2 million kms ) in service . On average , the tram fleet covers an average of more than 24,850 miles ( 40,000 kilometres ) per day .
Technology has played a pivotal role in the development of the largest tram system in the country , making Metrolink ’ s fleet of trams more resilient , boosting capacity for passengers and allowing for more services to be scheduled for high-profile events within Greater Manchester .
After visiting the wheel lathe and having a guided tour of bogie workshop , members were given the opportunity to be a driver in the latest , realistic tram simulator to drive on a chosen route .
Railways in Ireland - Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme
On the 12th September the CIRO Irish Area hosted their latest hybrid event in their 2024 event programme . Presented by AJ Cronin MCIRO , Delivery Manager at Iarnród Éireann / Irish Rail , members learnt about one of the major rail investment programmes currently underway in Ireland at the present time .
The programme will bring major changes to signalling , stations , track and rolling stock in Cork city and the wider suburban area that is aimed at significantly increasing rail ’ s share in the growth and development of Cork .
AJ provided an overview of Irish Rail ’ s current services delivered by their 4,500 employees , with their fleet of 670 carriages , running over 5000 weekly train services and carrying a million passengers . There has seen a significant demand for rail and during 2024 , passenger journeys will be exceeding pre-COVID levels of 2019 , with the largest ever demand for rail exceeding 50 million passenger journeys .
With its vision for rail to be the backbone of a sustainable transport system , Iarnród Éireann has developed an ambitious strategy to meet this growing demand with the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme major capital investment project being part of the significant capital programme over the next decade .
With the significant increase in passenger growth in the Cork area since 2019 , AJ explained how , though a 1.4-1.6 billion Euro investment , the future network is to deliver a transformative 10-minute service frequency , through the provision of new stations , decarbonisation of the fleet through the introduction of a new electric fleet , new signalling , new depot and charging infrastructure and improvements to existing 10 stations .
AJ explained that Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme , is being progressed through seven separate , but interrelated , projects . The three capacity projects , funded by the EU recovery and resilience fund , are to deliver the higher frequency service : Kent station through platform , Signalling and communications upgrade and the Glounthaune to Midleton twin track . The remaining four projects include network upgrades ( new stations , track works , civils and structures ), the new fleet depot , electrification and new rolling stock .
AJ provided members with an overview of the projects and the presentation was followed by and interesting and engaging Q & A session .
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