Calls for commitment to revamp train station

THE Government must commit to the long-awaited revamp of Cork’s Kent Station to make the city “work better”, the city’s leading business group said last night.

Cork Chamber made the call as part of its submission to Cork City Council on the draft Cork Area Transit Scheme (CATS) – the public transport feasibility study for the Cork metropolitan region.

The study has been prepared to provide for Cork’s public transport needs up to 2020 and beyond. Its main recommendations include:

* the development of a single rapid transit corridor, running from city centre and docklands area to Bishopstown and Ballincollig with a future link to Mahon.

* The preferred system is Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) rather than a Luas-style system.

* A significant upgrade of the conventional bus services in the Cork city region.

* A new traffic management system for the city centre to facilitate the introduction of the BRT system and to generally improve the environment for shoppers and visitors.

* Additional measures include integrated ticketing and real-time passenger information.

But the reorientation of Kent Station to face the river is vital if the overall scheme is to be a success, the chamber said.

Kevin Murray, the chairman of the Chamber’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee, said a BRT system, expanded bus services and new traffic management measures, combined with connections to commuter and intercity rail services at Kent Station, “holds the promise of a realistic high-quality public transport system that Cork needs to make our city work better”.

The chamber has highlighted a number of issues it would like to see considered in the planning and construction phases of this project.

“In particular, we would like to see the CATS proposals integrated with a multi-modal transport plan for the entire Metropolitan region, under the auspices of the Cork Area Strategic Plan (CASP),” he said.

“Similarly, in order for the project to be successful, the Government must now commit to the re-development of Kent Station as a multi-modal transport hub for the entire region.

“The chamber and its members are concerned that the much-needed reconfiguration of Kent Station does not appear to have been advanced sufficiently as of yet.”

He said the chamber also noted the need for a further expansion of park and ride facilities to make the most of the proposed BRT and expanded bus services.

“It is also imperative that the necessary changes to the city’s road network during the construction of the BRT system do not negatively impact on commercial activity in the city, and we look forward to an ongoing dialogue with the city council to ensure that appropriate mitigation measures are provided,” he added.

The public consultation phase of the CATS study is now complete.