Over €700,000 spent so far on development of Cork Luas network
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Over €700,000 has been spent on costs associated with the Cork Luas project so far, ahead of the announcement of the preferred route due later this year for the much-anticipated system.
The costs to date are related to fees for the “development of route option selection and feasibility studies including transport modelling, environmental assessment, engineering design, and associated surveys”, according to the National Transport Authority (NTA).
The proposed €1bn Cork light rail system is one of the most significant elements of the ambitious Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy through to 2040.
The 17km east-west Luas would serve 25 stops including Ballincollig, the proposed Cork Science and Innovation Park (CSIP), Munster Technological University (MTU), Cork University Hospital (CUH), University College Cork (UCC), Cork City Centre, Kent Station/Cork North Docklands, Cork South Docklands, and Mahon.
According to the landmark transport strategy, the journey from Ballincollig to Patrick Street would take 27 minutes, while Mahon Point to Patrick Street would take 20 minutes.
It’s understood that the emerging preferred route for this project will be announced later this year.
In August 2020, the reported that Jacobs Engineering Ireland had been appointed to identify route options and develop initial designs for the project.
At that time, NTA CEO Anne Graham said that it was “essential” that progress is made on the delivery of key elements in the Cork transport strategy “sooner rather than later”.
Also part of that landmark strategy is a €600m investment in BusConnects Cork announced late last month, which will see the creation of 12 “sustainable transport corridors” with 75km of bus lanes and 54km of cycling and walking infrastructure.
“With a 51% increase in the numbers taking the bus in just six years, there is a rapidly growing demand for bus services and the need for modern infrastructure to support Cork’s growth,” Ms Graham said.
While there are no clear dates set for when the Luas project will be delivered, just under three quarters of a million euro has been spent so far.
The project first commenced in October 2020, costing €77,077 in that calendar year. A further €571,500 was spent in 2021, and €86,888 was spent up to March 21 so far in 2022.
Labour local area representative, Peter Horgan, said: “Such significant sums being spent on route selection need to be matched with real-life deliverables for a light rail.
“This cannot be just a pipe dream if we are to encourage people and commuters to leave the car at home, to serve all the people of Cork, and be sustainable for expansion.”