Cork train seeks to get back on track

The man behind Cork’s derailed tourist train venture has threatened to take the business elsewhere unless City Hall provides him with a “commercially viable” pick-up point.

Operator Pat Flynn spoke out after City Hall confirmed it was considering legal action three years into a stalemate which has seen the service hit the buffers.

Councillors signed off on a €70,000 investment in what was supposed to be the city’s first tourist train initiative in late 2015, with details on lease arrangements with proposed operator Pat Flynn, from Cloughduv, Co Cork, potential routes, and operating times signed off.

It ran from George’s Quay for just two weeks in May 2016. Relations between Mr Flynn and Cork City Council have soured to the extent that the city is now considering legal action for alleged failure to provide the contracted service.

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, Mr Flynn defended his position and said the service is just not viable from “back street” pick-up locations.

With nothing sensible happening I am proposing locating elsewhere for a period while they sort themselves out,” he said.

He said he secured a financial package, including bank loans combined with EU, local enterprise, and city council grant aid, to build the train in 2015 with a view to beginning operations from May 2016.

Mr Flynn blamed the stalemate on City Hall’s unwillingness to provide an “operating position in the city’s tourist catchment that is commercially viable for the business”.

He described the George’s Quay location as “too remote” and lacking tourist footfall.

“The operator did nevertheless trial the position for some two weeks and found that the numbers did not make it sustainable to remain there.

“And as a consequence of same this new business start-up has not been enabled to trade for the 2016, 2017 and 2018 tourist visitor seasons,” he said.

“Operating positions (about four) that have been offered since 2016 are back-street and remote from our targeted customers and do not provide for the development of a commercially-viable operating licence.

“As a commercially viable operating position is not forthcoming in the foreseeable future we are thus seeking to relocate the train to a out-of-town tourist catchment so that we can get on with earning a income to thus help us in meeting with our financial commitments to the various project investors.

Thus we are seeking to work the train at the out of town tourist catchment for next years tourist season.

“The train can come back to Cork City when the officials in the city council find a commercially viable position for the train to operate and work from.”

He said no amount of city officials “side-stepping the issue of the tourist train’s requirement for a commercially viable operating position” will satisfy the contract from the operator’s and investor perspective.

“The operator has done everything possible to help save City Hall any expense with this proposal,” he said.