Of 13 complaints that mentioned vaping, one was a person expressing concern that a child was vaping, and another was a complaint about a staff member vaping on the train. Four complaints were also made about drug use.

The contract covers detailed design, preparation and assessment of construction tenders, supervision of the building work and the eventual handover of the bridge.

Nearly €800,000 has been spent on Parnell Place bus station in the last five years — but there is uncertainty over what exactly it was spent on. Figures provided by Bus Éireann show €795,716 has been spent on the city centre bus station since 2021.

The works, approved by Cork County Council in September, come as part of Iarnród Éireann’s national car park expansion programme.

The NTA spent six years developing a computer system to manage train movements, before concluding that the software could not be deployed.

The programme for government commits to working with local authorities and relevant agencies to develop affordable park and ride facilities on the outskirts of major towns and cities.

The estimate of final project cost is €16.8m inclusive of Vat, within the budget of €17.1m.

The advocate described the scheme as an “exceptionally good service”, encouraging people to use it to visit East Cork or West Cork or even other counties, and reminding people that they could bring a companion for free.