Millstreet railway station serves the town of Millstreet

Millstreet

Millstreet is a town in north County Cork, Ireland with a population of approximately 1,500. It is located at the foot of Clara Mountain. The town's Catholic church is dedicated to St. Patrick. Since October 1985, the town has been twinned with Pommerit-le-Vicomte in Brittany, France...

 in County Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

.
The station opened on 16 April 1853 and closed for goods traffic on 6 September 1976.

Upgradings & Improvements

The original station

Train station

A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...

 was much smaller to the current one. The station was heavily upgraded for the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Millstreet and won for Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 by Niamh Kavanagh

Niamh Kavanagh

Niamh Kavanagh is an Irish singer and winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1993.Kavanagh is perhaps best known for winning Eurovision Song Contest 1993, held in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland. She sang "In Your Eyes" to clinch a second consecutive win for Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest;...

. Before 1993, there was one track which went to Rathmore

Rathmore

Rathmore is a small town in Kerry, Ireland, lying immediately west of the border with Cork. It lies at the heart of the Sliabh Luachra area known for its traditional Irish music and culture. The local GAA club is Rathmore GAA. The SAG is in Rathmore and helps the elderly in the area...

 and Banteer

Banteer

Banteer is a village in north County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland. It is near the town of Mallow, County Cork. Located in the district of northern Cork known as Duhallow.-History:...

. As part of the redevelopment plan, a new track was constructed opposite the main platform. This meant there could be two trains in the station

Train station

A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...

 at one time. However, since the Eurovision, the spare track has been rarely used. The platform was upgraded to meet EU safety standards,and is now much higher than before 1993.

Facilities

The station has two platforms, but one is ever used. The track meets the main Millstreet-Mallow

Mallow, County Cork

Mallow is the "Crossroads of Munster" and the administrative capital of north County Cork, in Ireland. The Northern Divisional Offices of Cork County Council are located in the town....

 road on the Kerry

County Kerry

Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...

 direction, and can be a small hazard, but it is relatively safe since the introduction of barriers. There is a ticket office where information can be found and tickets sold. There are two toilets catering for both male and female, and there is a vending machine. There is a small car park to the entrance to the station.

Trains

Normally twelve trains pass through Millstreet every day in each direction, depending on the day of the week, with an average interval of approximately two hours between trains. Most services are operated by Commuter

Commuter (Iarnród Éireann)

Commuter is the brand name given to the suburban rail services operated by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland. These operate in and around the suburban rail networks of Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway, in contrast to the majority of services which are classed as InterCity...

 railcar

Railcar

A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...

s, but four service each day both ways is normally operated by an InterCity

InterCity (Iarnród Éireann)

InterCity is the brand name given to rail services operated by Iarnród Éireann that run between Dublin and other major cities in the Republic of Ireland.-Services:InterCity services from Dublin operate from two main stations:...

 22000 Class train.

The station is one of the best maintained on the island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 of Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, and is of great use to the local community, as Macroom

Macroom

Macroom is a market town in Ireland located in a valley on the River Sullane, a tributary of the River Lee, between Cork and Killarney. It is one of the key gateways to the tourist region of West Cork. The town recorded a population on 3,553 in the 2006 national census...

is also served by this station. The station continues to successfully cater for the mid-Cork region.