Draft route for 'long-awaited' €1bn Cork Luas light rail system unveiled

A CGI of Cork Luas trams on St Patrick's St.

The draft route for the €1bn-plus Cork Luas light rail system, which has been designed to support ambitious population growth over the next two decades, has been unveiled.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin hailed it as a significant step in an infrastructure project that will be transformational for Cork City as he launched the emerging preferred route in City Hall on Monday for public consultation.

However, it will be several years before construction starts.

The Lord Mayor, Green Party councillor Dan Boyle, described the Cork Luas as a “long-awaited, missing, but vital, link in the city's transport infrastructure”.

“It will provide real choice to have more people travel by public transport, reduce car dependency, connect key locations and allow for significant additional growth in the development of city. The challenge is to see it constructed and operating in the shortest possible time frame,” he said.

The proposed route runs 18km from Ballincollig in the west to Mahon Point in the east, with 25 stops along the way.

It connects key destinations such as the Munster Technology Institute’s (MTU) main campus at Bishopstown, Cork University Hospital (CUH), University College Cork (UCC), the city centre, Kent train station, Cork docklands, Blackrock and Mahon. The scheme also includes:

• A proposed 1,000-vehicle park and ride facility at Clash, just east of Ballincollig;
• A new public transport bridge connecting Kent Station to Kennedy Quay in the south docks;
• A stop close to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh;
• A ‘mobility hub’ in Mahon;
• And new cycling infrastructure along much of the route.

Publication of the route was delayed amid a dispute over a strategic design issue over whether citybound trams should turn left or right at the junction of Washington St with the Grand Parade and take in St Patrick’s St and the northside.

But the emerging preferred route published on Monday shows the Cork Luas will turn left at this junction and run along the city’s main street.

The eastern section of the Cork Luas starts with a loop around Ballincollig town centre, running from Carriganarra to take in the main street and the town’s link road, before it heads easts through mostly farmland at Clash, where a vast park-and-ride site is proposed, and through the site of the proposed Cork Science Park, to arrive at the southern flank of MTU’s Bishopstown campus.

A CGI of a Cork Luas tram on Main Street, Ballincollig.

It then runs along Melbourn Road, east onto Curraheen Road before heading through Bishopstown, passing CUH and then down Wilton Road, through Dennehy’s Cross and Victoria Cross and on into the city centre.

The map shows the preferred route turning left at the junction of Washington St and Grand Parade to run along St Patrick’s St, over St Patrick’s Bridge and east along MacCurtain St towards Kent train station, where a new public transport bridge will carry trams into the south docks, where thousands of new homes are planned.

Trams will then run along Centre Park Road, with a stop near Páirc Uí Chaoimh, before the route heads south through Ballintemple and Ballinlough, with stops at Churchyard Lane and Well Road, before it joins the Skehard Road heading east to join the Blackrock to Mahon greenway, where it then runs south towards Mahon Point, where a mobility hub is planned.

The draft route is now open for public consultation for eight weeks, until June 9, with a series of open days set to take place across the city to outline the proposed route in detail.

Maps and graphics will be available for inspection on a dedicated website and at the open days where TII staff will be available to answer questions.

A CGI of the Cork Luas tram on MacCurtain St.

The Cork Luas scheme is being advanced by and will be delivered by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and has been designed in collaboration with the National Transport Authority (NTA) which is advancing the BusConnects Cork project.

Under the national planning framework, Cork is planned to be the fastest-growing city in Ireland over the next 20 years, with a population targeted to grow by between 50% and 60%.

High-quality public transport projects like Cork Luas are key to delivering the large-scale regeneration and investment planned for Cork, such as the development of the city’s docklands, expected to deliver 20,000 new homes and almost 25,000 jobs.

Mr Martin paid tribute to the work of TII, the NTA and Cork City Council and said the light rail system would 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.

“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,” he said.

A map showing the emerging preferred route of the 18km Cork Luas route linking Ballincollig to Mahon Point. 

Transport minister Darragh O’Brien pointed out Cork has been selected by the European Commission as one of Europe’s first climate-neutral cities.

“The development of Luas Cork will play a key role in achieving this goal,” he said.

“By providing a modern, reliable, and efficient public transport option, Luas Cork will encourage a shift away from private car use, reducing traffic congestion, lowering carbon emissions, and improving air quality.” 

The NTA’s interim chief executive, Hugh Creegan, said Cork Luas was a central part of the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (Cmats), the transport blueprint that seeks to deliver public transport improvements including the light rail system, BusConnects, heavy rail improvements, safe cycling and walking infrastructure.

“This new era of public transport will enable Cork to develop into an accessible, connected and vibrant city," he said.

TII chief executive Peter Walsh urged people to get involved in the public consultation before they progress to the next stage of design on this transformative public transport project for the city. 

More information on the Cork Luas project is available here.