Since the early

2000s File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty during the 9/11 attacks in 2001; the euro enters into European currency in 2002; a statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled during ...

, a number of proposals have been made by politicians and interest groups in

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the c ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

to introduce a light rail system in the city. As of early 2019 it was in a period of public consultation. The proposal has been compared to the

Luas Luas (pronounced ; Irish for "speed") is a tram/ light rail system in Dublin, Ireland. There are two main lines: the Green Line, which began operating on 30 June 2004, and the Red Line which opened on 26 September 2004. Since then, both lin ...

light rail system in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

History

From the 1880s to 1934, a light rail system existed in Cork, the

Cork and Muskerry Light Railway The Cork and Muskerry Light Railway was a narrow gauge railway in County Cork, Ireland. The first part of the railway opened in 1887 and closed in 1934. A major reason for building the railway was to exploit tourist traffic to Blarney Castle. ...

. It closed in 1934, having sustained damage during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

, which hindered usage. Another tramway operated three lines around the city center and surrounding suburbs, operated by the

Cork Electric Tramways and Lighting Company The Cork Electric Tramways and Lighting Company operated a passenger tramway service in Cork between 1898 and 1931. History Origins The Cork Electric Tramways and Lighting Company was a subsidiary of British Thomson-Houston, a major electric ...

. It closed in 1931, having sustained damage during the

Burning of Cork The burning of Cork () by British forces took place on the night of 11–12 December 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. It followed an Irish Republican Army (IRA) ambush of a British Auxiliary patrol in the city, which wounded twelve A ...

, as well as the increased use of motor transportation. A light rail system was proposed as part of the Green Party manifesto in 2007. The Green Party entered as the junior partner into a coalition with Fianna Fáil after the 2007 general election. The proposals were briefly discussed in the Dáil. However, the post-2008 economic downturn began shortly afterward, and it, along with other infrastructural plans, were shelved. The proposal was mentioned in the government's Ireland 2040 framework, which was published in 2018. As of 2019, a formal transportation plan for Cork, known as the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (CMATS), was prepared by the local authority. Publication was scheduled for February 2018, with a "draft plan" proposed to be available for "public consultation early in 2019". The draft CMATS plan was published in May 2019, and included draft proposals for the construction of a light-rail system sometime after 2031. The proposed light-rail system received support from the president of UCC, Cork's largest third-level institution, and the Cork Chamber of Commerce, and

Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Ta ...

Simon Coveney Simon Coveney (born 16 June 1972) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment since December 2022 and Deputy Leader of Fine Gael since 2017. He previously served as Minister for Foreign Aff ...

and former Lord Mayor Mary Shields.

Proposed route

Plans proposed in 2017, under the Ireland 2040 development framework, had suggested an 'east-west' light-rail corridor from

Ballincollig Ballincollig () is a suburban town within the administrative area of Cork city in Ireland. It is located on the western side of Cork city, beside the River Lee on the R608 regional road. In 2016 it was the largest town in County Cork, at wh ...

in the west of Cork City, through the city centre, to Mahon in the east. A 'north-south' corridor was also contained in these plans, linking

Cork Airport Cork Airport ( ga, Aerfort Chorcaí, ) is the second-largest of the three principal international airports in Ireland, after Dublin and ahead of Shannon. It is located in Cork City, south of the city centre in an area known as Farmers Cros ...

. During 2018, the

People Before Profit People Before Profit ( ga, Pobal Roimh Bhrabús, PBP) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left Trotskyist political party formed in October 2005. It is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Histo ...

(PBP) political party proposed a variant of these routes. One two-line proposal suggested one line running from

to Mahon, and another from

to Cork city center. Another PBP proposal, from later in 2018, was based on three lines. In May 2019, the 'Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy' was published by the National Transport Authority, and contained proposals for a one-line system running from Ballincollig to Mahon through the city centre. The project was unveiled alongside a number of other suggested transport investments, including an expansion of the

Cork Suburban Rail The Cork Suburban Rail ( ga, Iarnród Fobhailteach Chorcaí) network serves areas in and around Cork city in Ireland. There has been a suburban rail system in Cork since the middle of the 19th century; however, it was subject to line closures i ...

. The 2019 proposal was costed at €1 billion, projected to include 25 possible stops along 17 km of track. Determination of the final LRT route alignment was due to start in early 2020 with construction not expected to commence "until 2031 at earliest". Starting in Ballincollig, the line proposed for this project proposed a route eastwards, serving locations such as

Cork Institute of Technology Cork Institute of Technology (CIT; ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Chorcaí) was an institute of technology, located in Cork, Ireland. Upon its dissolution, the institute had 17,000 students studying in art, business, engineering, music, d ...

Cork University Hospital Cork University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a large university teaching hospital in Wilton, Cork in Ireland. Its academic partner is University College Cork. It is the only Level 1 Trauma Centre in Ireland. It is a public ...

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one ...

Patrick street Patrick Street is an Irish folk group founded by Kevin Burke (formerly of The Bothy Band) on fiddle, Andy Irvine (Sweeney's Men, Planxty) on mandolin, bouzouki, harmonica and vocals, Jackie Daly (De Dannan) on button accordion, and Arty McG ...

, Kent station,

Páirc Uí Chaoimh Páirc Uí Chaoimh ( ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Cork, Ireland. It is the home of Cork GAA. The venue, often referred to simply as The Park, is located in Ballintemple and is built near to the site of the original Cork Athletic Grounds. The s ...

and

Mahon Point Shopping Centre Mahon the Point Shopping Centre is the second largest shopping centre in Munster. Located in the Mahon area of Cork in Ireland, the centre was opened in February 2005. It has over 2000 free-of-charge indoor and outdoor parking spaces. Facili ...

. These 2019 proposals speculated that the line would make use of the old

Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway The Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway known locally to the locals aThe Black Bridge(CB&PR) was a narrow gauge railway in County Cork, Ireland. The line originally opened in 1850 as a Irish standard gauge railway between Cork and Passage We ...

line greenway when running through

Blackrock BlackRock, Inc. is an American multi-national investment company based in New York City. Founded in 1988, initially as a risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with tri ...

. A cycleway and improved suburban rail network was announced with plans for a light rail in July 2020.

References

External links

Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy
National Transport Authority {{Cork transport Light rail in Ireland Tram transport in the Republic of Ireland Transport in Cork (city) Proposed railway lines in the Republic of Ireland