New Cork bus depot to be operational ‘in the coming months’

The long-delayed Tivoli temporary bus depot will be operational “in the coming months”, but no projected completion date is available yet, Bus Éireann has said.

Earlier this week, The Echo confirmed that the depot, which can only be used until the end of 2030, according to planning documentation, had missed its latest deadline of April this year.

The development on the former Tata Steel facility within the Port of Cork’s Tivoli Industrial Estate will allow for electrification works at Capwell depot so that Cork can switch to the electric bus fleet necessary for BusConnects.

The depot was originally set to be up and running in the first half of 2025, before a target completion date of March 2026 was set in January 2025.

Last December, the NTA told The Echo that “some delays” had been experienced, but that that the substantial completion date was programmed for February 2026, “and following the fit out works it is anticipated that the depot will become operational in April 2026”.

The costs have also increased during this time, from €8m in original media reports in 2023 to €17m in 2025.

Hugh Cregan, deputy CEO of the National Transport Authority (NTA), told the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee that €18m had been spent on the depot as of January this year.

The NTA has not responded to repeated requests for comment from The Echo.

A Bus Éireann spokesperson has told The Echo it can confirm that works at the Tivoli depot are continuing to progress.

“We anticipate that Tivoli will become operational in the coming months and will provide a confirmed date once it has been agreed with all relevant stakeholders to the project,” they said.