Cork will not have electric bus charging infrastructure until 2028, NTA confirms

'It is currently projected that the first phase of charging infrastructure at Capwell depot will become available during 2028,' the NTA said. Picture: Chani Anderson

There will be no bus charging infrastructure in Cork until 2028, the National Transport Authority has confirmed.

Currently, Cork cannot use electric buses as it does not have charging infrastructure, and the NTA has not bought new diesel-only buses for several years.

Since 2020, Cork has received 68 buses which had been taken out of service in Limerick. Meanwhile, there are 98 battery-electric buses in storage nationally due to a lack of chargers.

At present, the urban bus fleet in Cork is constrained by reliance on a single depot in Capwell, which Hugh Creegan, deputy chief executive of the NTA, says “is already accommodating a greater number of vehicles than that for which it was designed”.

A €17m temporary depot is being developed at Tivoli Docks, with diesel buses set to be moved there so electric chargers can be installed at Capwell.

The temporary depot, originally set to be up and running in the first half of 2025, has missed many deadlines and seen its price tag more than double from earliest estimates but “is now substantially complete and will come onstream early in Q3 2026”, Mr Cregan said.

“The latter project is important in the short-term as the NTA is now only purchasing new battery-electric urban buses, so charging infrastructure must be in-situ at depots before any new additions can be made to the urban bus fleet.

“It is currently projected that the first phase of charging infrastructure at Capwell depot will become available during 2028.” 

The information was provided to Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould, who said: “This means it will be another two years before Cork can get any new buses.

“If Tivoli is due to open in the coming weeks, why will it take until 2028 to install this infrastructure?

These delays are not just damaging for drivers and passengers. They are costing the State more and more money. We have already seen the price hike for Tivoli. How much will charging infrastructure in Capwell now cost?

The Tivoli depot’s planning permission was granted contingent on the fact the facility would no longer be operating, and the land returned to its pre-development state by the last day of 2030.

Because there will still be a need for additional depot capacity after this date, particularly given the planned expansion of the bus fleet for BusConnects Cork, the NTA has also acquired a site on Kinsale Road that will be used for a new bus depot and is finalising the acquisition of another site in Little Island that will be used for a further new bus depot.

These two new depots, which will be equipped from the outset with charging infrastructure to support the operation of battery-electric buses, are intended to supplement Capwell depot and to facilitate the full transition of the urban bus fleet in Cork to zero-emission by 2035.

Mr Cregan confirmed last month an application was being prepared to seek planning consent for the Kinsale Road proposed depot, to accommodate 100 to 150 electric buses, and the NTA plans to apply for permission for the Little Island depot to hold 100 to 130 vehicles, in 2027, with construction on both expected to commence late next year.