Cork is planned to be the fastest-growing city in Ireland over the next 20 years with a population targeted to grow by 50 to 60 percent, with high-quality public transport projects key to delivering the large-scale regeneration and investment planned for Cork.
One such project, Luas Cork, saw the Emerging Preferred Route released by Transport Infrastructure Ireland on Monday and is now inviting the public to have its say on the proposed plan, with the public consultation open for a period of eight weeks until Monday, 9th June.
Consisting of a proposed 18km long light rail line with up to 25 stops running from Ballincollig to Mahon Point, Luas Cork would connect key destinations such as MTU, Cork University Hospital, UCC, the city centre, Kent Station, Cork Docklands, Blackrock and Mahon.
The scheme, which was launched by Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD at Cork City Hall on Monday, includes a new public transport bridge connecting Kent Station to Kennedy Quay and new cycling infrastructure along much of the route. The Emerging Preferred Route also includes a proposed 1,000 vehicle Park & Ride facility in Ballincollig and a Mobility Hub in Mahon.
Speaking at Monday’s launch, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that the announcement for the Emerging Preferred Route represented ‘a significant step in an infrastructure project that will be transformational for Cork city’.
“Luas Cork will hugely improve connectivity in the city by modernising the city’s public transport network, making it more accessible and creating new opportunities for residents, visitors and local businesses. It’s very positive to see this project progressing, and from that point of view I’d like to acknowledge the work done by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the National Transport Authority and indeed Cork City Council.
“With the consultation process now open, I’d encourage everybody to take this opportunity to provide their feedback and share their views on this exciting proposal.”
Cork Chamber CEO, Conor Healy, welcomed the publication of the route as a major step forward for the project, as well as emphasising the importance of this initiative in achieving Cork’s carbon neutrality goals. Cork Chamber also welcomed the opening of the new €23m platform 6 at Kent Station, marking the completion of the first of a series of interrelated projects to be delivered as part of the wider upgrade of the Cork commuter rail network.
CONTINUED GROWTH
Key projects planned for the city include the development of the Cork City Docklands, expected to deliver 20,000 new homes and almost 25,000 jobs across the 4.2-acre site at Kennedy Quay.
Luas Cork will facilitate the future growth of the city and has been designed in collaboration with the National Transport Authority (NTA), to be delivered by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). It is being developed in close consultation with BusConnects to support the shift from cars to public transport and active travel.
TII and the NTA invite the public to participate in the consultation, where details of the proposals are published. There will be a number of open days across the city during the consultation where drawings can be inspected and staff from TII will be available to answer questions.
For more information on the Luas Cork project www.luascork.ie
