Previously unseen images show what Cork’s light rail could look like

NEW images previously unseen by the public show what Cork’s proposed Luas-style system might look like and two points of the city it could traverse through.

One render shows the Light Rail Transit (LRT) tram system — set to connect Ballincollig in the west to Mahon Point in the east via the city centre — running along Skehard Rd, while the other shows it on MacCurtain St.

The images were sent from a Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) official to a staff member in the National Transport Authority (NTA) in an email on March 5.

While the images could give an indication of the route of the LRT system, the official emerging preferred route (EPR) has yet to be confirmed.

Speaking at Cork Chamber’s latest Business Breakfast event last month, the chief executive officer of the NTA, Anne Graham, said that TII — funded by and in collaboration with the NTA — is currently undertaking the “detailed alignment study” to determine the optimum layout for the Cork Luas.

“That work is nearing completion, and it is expected that an emerging preferred option for Luas Cork will be published for public consultation this year,” she said.

Speaking to The Echo, Labour Party local election candidate for the city’s South East ward, Peter Horgan, who obtained the new images following a freedom of information request, said there should be no further delay in announcing the EPR.

“This is the first semi-confirmation that we have that the route of the Luas will go down Skehard Rd, which is a welcome thing to have, but we shouldn’t have to wait for freedom of information requests to get this information,” he said. 

“We should see the emerging preferred route in full, even if there are certain elements of the city centre that are still being worked out. This project can’t be allowed to delay and dawdle any longer.”

Late last year, the NTA had said that work on identifying a precise route for the proposed LRT system was progressing well.

The authority had said that, in discussions with Cork City Council over the summer, “it was agreed that some additional work should be undertaken in relation to the city-centre section prior to commencing the public consultation stage”.

The emerging preferred route had been expected to be revealed before the end of 2022.

However, this was delayed. It was then expected to be published in July last year, but was further stalled to facilitate the additional work on the city centre section.

Mr Horgan said he was also “bitterly disappointed” that some 305 pages of documents were refused under his FOI request.

The decision maker in the request stated that many of the records “relate to proposals for the upcoming Cork light rail project public consultation, which are currently under consideration by TII, the National Transport Authority, and Cork City Council” and that as the details of these proposals “have yet to be finalised and presented for public consultation”, they could not be issued.