Plans for a €1 billion 25-stop light-rail service for Cork city have been announced by the National Transport Authority.
The Luas-style rail service would run from Ballincollig to Mahon Point while travelling straight through the heart of the city.
The proposals were contained in the Cork Metropolitan Area Draft Transport Strategy, which was published on Tuesday morning.
Up to 25 stops would be contained in the rail service, with an estimated travel time of 47 minutes from start to finish.
The plan states: "To serve predicted level of passenger demand to 2040, a total of 27 tram vehicles providing an initial frequency of light rail trains running at a headway of every 5 minutes is proposed, with an hourly capacity of 4,600pax/hr/dir.
"This level of service provides medium to long term capacity resilience and can be revised upwards (or downwards) depending on the stage of the development cycle."
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However, work on any light-rail service won't begin until 2031 at the earliest, with a €545m investment package in the bus network the immediate focus.
This will lead to a 700% increase in bus lanes throughout the city, growing from 14km to 100km.
A major upgrade in suburban rail services is also contained in the plan.
This would include six new train stations at Monard, Blackpool, Tivoli, Carrigtwohill West, Waterrock and Ballynoe along the existing Cork-Mallow and Cork-Midleton rail lines.
The strategy also proposes a €1.39 billion investment in roads including the Cork North Ring Road by 2035.
200km of primary bike lanes, 150km of secondary cycling network, 60km of inter-urban cycling networks and 140km of Greenways are also contained in the €3 billion draft plan.
Conor Healy, Cork Chamber CEO, said: “It is essential that this transformative strategy is placed on a firm statutory footing to ensure delivery, supported by transparent timelines and clear funding commitments.
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"In recognition of Cork’s positioning within Ireland 2040, we believe the establishment of a permanent National Transport Authority office in Cork is required to ensure that implementation does not fall off the agenda.
"The timely delivery of CMATS is essential to the future development of Cork as a place to live and work.
"From a business perspective, investment in sustainable and public transport is a top priority alongside more city centre apartment living.
"With 65,000 jobs targeted across Cork and significant population growth, we cannot continue to have 70% of commuters arriving into the city using private cars or have trucks directed through our city’s core because of a lack of alternative options.
"While large scale infrastructure such as light rail and the North Ring Road are part of our vision for Cork, early delivery of ‘Bus Connects’ must be a priority.
"Cork only has 14km of dedicated bus lanes. From today, we must see immediate action on scaling bus networks throughout Metropolitan Cork to transform how we commute."
Read the full plans below.
