New Cork bus plan promises more buses, more often with shorter wait times
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More buses will run more often and passengers will face shorter waits, transport chiefs promised on Monday morning as they unveiled Cork’s revamped bus network.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) said the new network would bring thousands more people closer to more frequent services, will deliver a second 24-hour service, and seven high-frequency services, with buses running every 15-minutes or more at peak periods.
The details were confirmed as the NTA unveiled the new Cork Metropolitan Bus Network — a key part of the near €600m BusConnects Cork plan which aims to transform the public transport network across the city's metropolitan area.
As first reported by the on Monday, the new network, which has been designed following a review and public consultation, features:
- An overall increase of 53% in bus services in Cork;
- Two 24-hour bus services — route 1 running east-west linking Ovens/Ballincollig to Mahon via the city centre, and route 3A running north-south, linking Carrigaline to Hollyhill via the city;
- Seven all-day high-frequency bus routes, with services running every 15 minutes or more often, and more more during peak periods;
- New bus services to previously unserved areas such as Upper Glanmire, Waterfall, Kerry Pike.
The NTA said the new network, which increases access to a greater number of schools and workplaces across the region, means the number of people living within 400m of a high-frequency bus route — one which runs every 15 minutes or more often — will increase by 39%, and the number of jobs located within 400m of a high-frequency bus route will increase by 19%.
The new network has been designed to have simpler and easy-to-understand routes and schedules and to provide more direct routes for more people.
It will be delivered in phases during 2023 and 2024, and will be supported by a comprehensive public information campaign.
Separately, work on the design of 12 sustainable transport corridors (STCs) in the city is ongoing. They are seen as vital to ensuring that buses run on the new network efficiently and on time. The NTA plans to publish details on the STCs later.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan hailed the new network as an important milestone in the Government’s ambition to enable greater numbers of people to take the bus.
“This will help to transform the existing bus network into a more efficient, sustainable one to meet current and future needs in the area. The expansion of the system into the night hours will also greatly benefit Cork’s night-time economy,” he said.
NTA chief executive Anne Graham said by offering greater connectivity, bus services in Cork are set to become more useful to more people.
“This will put is firmly on track to meet the CMATS ambition of increasing the number of people using public transport in Cork fourfold by 2040,” she said.
Bus Éireann chief executive Stephen Kent said this new network would support Cork’s growth for several decades, and will promote the necessary shift to public transport to meet Ireland’s climate change commitments.
“We have seen investment in Cork routes deliver passenger growth of 70% within just a year, so we know that improving the reliability of our services by facilitating bus prioritisation will result in greater use, bringing social, economic and environmental benefits,” he said.