Cork and Macroom Direct Railway

It was incorporated by the Cork and Macroom Direct Railway Act 1861 (24 & 25 Vict. c. ccvii) and was chaired by Sir John Arnott and Joseph Ronayne. The engineer for the scheme was Sir John Benson.

Construction work started in 1863. The line cost £6,000 per mile (equivalent to £617,000 in 2025) and there were five stations on the 24 miles 13 chains (24.16 miles, 38.89 km) length. It opened on 12 May 1866 and utilised the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway terminus at Albert Quay.

The company wanted independence from the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway (CBSCR) which was charging £2,000 per annum for the privilege, so it built a new terminus on Summerhill South road fed by a link from Ballyphehane Junction. Cork Capwell railway station cost £28,000 (equivalent to £3,008,256 in 2025), and opened in September 1879. The link with the CBSCR was severed as the CMDR wished to remain independent however they were forced to re-open it by the Irish Railways Executive Committee in 1918.

In 1925, the Cork and Macroom Direct Railway was amalgamated into the Great Southern Railways (GSR) along with other Irish railway companies. The CMDR whilst small was modestly profitable and had attempted to remain independent even again severing their link to the rest of the network but in the end their attempts were fruitless.

Powers to extend the CMDR to Kenmare had been granted but were never exercised.

Incidents

On 8 September 1878, there was a derailment east of Ballincollig that resulted in 5 deaths and 70 injuries. This incident resulted in significant financial outlay for the company for several years.