The number of trains that will operate between Cork city and the county's eastern region will treble as Iarnród Éireann has confirmed a contract has been awarded under an overall €180m plan.
International transport company Alstom is set to conduct works on signalling upgrades in a contract that is worth €78.5m, according to Iarnród Éireann.
The works will focus on the city's Kent Station and lines between Mallow, Cobh, and Midleton.
The award comes as part of the Cork Area Commuter Rail project, which is being developed by the National Transport Authority and is receiving funding from the European Union.
It is expected that works will start later this year and they are targeting completion by mid-2026.
Iarnród Éireann said that the deal will help deliver a "more efficient, sustainable, low-carbon and climate resilient heavy rail network" in Cork.
Under the plan, the frequency of routes will increase and "potentially treble existing service frequency to a ten-minute frequency on all routes in future".
Last year, service upgrades between the city and Cobh and Midleton saw services double from every 60 minutes to every 30 minutes.
The upgrades meant that stations in Glounthane and Little Island, which lay in between the two east Cork towns, saw trains pass every 15 minutes during peak times.
Six new stations are being planned under Cork's overall Metropolitan Rail Network blueprints.
New stations at Ballynoe and Water-Rock are planned between Carrigtwohill and Midleton, while Carrigtwohill West, Dunkettle, Tivoli, Monard, and Blarney/Stoneview stations are also expected to be delivered in 2026.
Minster for Transport Eamon Ryan welcomed the investment with Alstom and said it will "provide for improved service reliability, frequency and capacity benefits, as well as electrified operations in the long-run".
Minister for Finance Michael McGrath called it a "significant milestone" for the commuter rail network in Cork".
He added that "upgrading Corks signalling system is a crucial step forward to facilitate the proposed capacity and service frequency increases planned for the region and will be of considerable benefit to users of the rail network".
The Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (CMATS) the new network would have the capacity to cater to 16 million passengers per year.
