Budget 2022: Number of key public transport projects in Cork to proceed in 2022  

The Government has committed to progressing a number of key public transport projects in Cork next year including the appointment of contractors to phase 1 of the Cork Commuter Rail Programme.

An upgrade of the Cork-Dublin rail line to improve journey speed and service reliability, as well as continued work on the appraisal, planning and design for BusConnects Cork and light rail for Cork will also proceed.

The projects are just some of a number of those to receive funding next year following an allocation of €3.4 billion to the Department of Transport under Budget 2022.

Investment in 2022 will also support a range of sustainable mobility projects, including the introduction of a new Young Adult Travel Card, offering a 50% discount on fares across the transport network for those age 19 to 23 as well as 165 new fully electric buses for cities and towns, 24 hybrid-electric buses for urban PSO bus fleets and 81 more buses for regional and local services.

Funding to support walking and cycling projects nationwide including €60m for greenways is also included. 

Among the key cycling, walking and greenway infrastructure projects in 2022 are the new cycle/pedestrian overbridge at Tramore Valley Park and continuing construction on the Midleton to Youghal greenway.

Approximately €1.37 billion is being provided for national, regional and local roads including for progressing the N22 Ballyvourney to Macroom bypass project and the M8/N40 Dunkettle Interchange upgrade.

2022 spending will also include €36 million in supports for the aviation sector as part of the Regional Airports Programme and compensation for Covid-19 related damages, as well as a supplementary package in the 2021 budget of €90 million.

Commenting on the Budget 2022 allocation, Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan said: “Transport has a critical role to play in our daily lives, and how we travel has a direct bearing on our carbon emissions. By reorienting our investment towards walking and cycling, sustainable public transport in both urban and rural areas, and electric vehicles, we can make it easier for people to make changes that benefit us all. I’m particularly pleased that we’ll see major progress on greenways all over Ireland, that fully electric buses will hit the road in numbers, and that our big public transport schemes will go forward to planning. This is the start of an ambitious project to transform how we travel.”