No electric buses in Cork until 2028

There will be no bus charging infrastructure in Cork until 2028, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has confirmed.

Currently, Cork cannot use electric buses as it does not have charging infrastructure, and the NTA has not bought new diesel-only buses for several years.

Since 2020, Cork has received 68 buses which have been taken out of service in Limerick. Meanwhile, there are 98 battery-electric buses in storage nationally due to a lack of chargers.

At present, the urban bus fleet in Cork is constrained by reliance on a single depot in  Capwell, which Hugh Creegan, deputy chief executive of the NTA, says “is already accommodating a greater number of vehicles than that for which it was designed”.

A €17m temporary depot is being developed at Tivoli Docks, with diesel buses set to be moved there so that electric chargers can be installed at Capwell.

Missed deadlines

The temporary depot, originally set to be up and running in the first half of 2025, has missed many deadlines and seen its price tag more than double from earliest estimates but “is now substantially complete and will come onstream early in Q3 2026”, Mr Cregan said.

“It is currently projected that the first phase of charging infrastructure at Capwell depot will become available during 2028.”

The information was provided to Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould, who said: “This means it will be another two years before Cork can get any new buses.

“If Tivoli is due to open in the coming weeks, why will it take until 2028 to install this infrastructure?

“These delays are not just damaging for drivers and passengers. They are costing the State more and more money. We have already seen the price hike for Tivoli, how much will charging infrastructure in Capwell now cost?”