Luas Cork Preferred Route Unveiled as Public Consultation Opens Until 12 June

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has today unveiled the preferred route for Luas Cork, the proposed €1bn-plus light rail system for Cork city. The publication opens a non-statutory public consultation running from 11am today until 5.30pm on Friday 12 June 2026.

The 18.6km route runs from Ballincollig in the west to Mahon Point in the east, with 27 stops connecting Munster Technological University (MTU), Cork University Hospital (CUH), University College Cork (UCC), Cork city centre, Kent Station, the Cork Docklands, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Blackrock and Mahon.

The preferred route largely follows the Emerging Preferred Route (EPR) published in April 2025, but includes a number of significant changes informed by the 1,003 submissions received during last year's public consultation.

In Ballincollig, the line has been reconfigured as a new single-track loop. Starting at the Carriganarra Road/Station Road junction, it runs via Castle Road, Flynn's Road and Ballincollig Main Street before turning south onto Station Road, where the loop completes and the line continues eastwards on a twin-track arrangement across the N22 towards MTU. A 1,000-space Park & Ride and depot facility is proposed on farmland east of the N22 and west of Clash Road, serving commuters from the N40 and N22, with secure cycle parking, bike-share stands, and taxi and car drop-off spaces.

The most significant alignment change is in Bishopstown. In the EPR, the line would have passed the front of Cork University Hospital before turning north at the Wilton roundabout. In the preferred route, after passing through the MTU campus on Rossa Avenue, the line continues south onto Melbourn Road, then turns east and runs uphill past Bishopstown Community School, Ballinaspig Lawn, Bishopstown GAA, Highfield Rugby Club, Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh, and Saint Columba's Convent, before continuing through the CUH campus and on to Bishopstown Road and Wilton Road.

Ahead of today's publication, copies of the preferred route were hand-delivered to residents on Thursday morning, 16 April. The Irish Examiner reports that the preferred route confirms a number of schools, sports clubs, and private residences will face compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) under the scheme. Members of Bishopstown GAA Club and Highfield Rugby Club have said they are extremely worried that their grounds will be impacted, and several Wilton Avenue residents have expressed concern that parts of their gardens will face CPOs.

At the eastern end of the line, the preferred route continues to run up Churchyard Lane in Ballintemple. TII said it had examined the main alternative, which would have diverted the line along the Greenway, but concluded that this option would reach fewer passengers, would irrevocably change the Greenway's character, and presented challenges including biodiversity and heritage impacts, gas mains and drainage constraints, and a single-track cap on capacity.

Ballintemple publican Con Dennehy has confirmed to the Irish Examiner that TII has told him the preferred route will go through The Venue, the popular bar he and his partner Kate Tierney have run for more than 11 years.

Con Dennehy, publican, The Venue, Ballintemple:

"I don't know what we're going to do. We could have the threat of a CPO hanging over us for the rest of our lives, and we might never see a Luas at the end of it."

Other changes from the EPR include three additional stops, at Bishopstown Ave, Victoria Cross, and the Docklands; the relocation of the UCC stop closer to the main UCC gates at Donovan Road to improve accessibility; a relocated and refined Páirc Uí Chaoimh stop designed for better crowd circulation and tram turnback; a new stop at the Skehard Road junction with Well Road; and staggered platforms at Beaumont Quarry, Cork Constitution, and at Kilbrack Grove and Woodvale Road.

The route through the city centre is unchanged from the EPR, crossing via St Patrick's Street, MacCurtain Street and Kent Station. TII said the Kent Station stop will be integrated into the proposed public transport interchange at the rear of the station, allowing intermodal transfer to commuter and intercity rail services, buses, and cycling facilities. Access to regional and intercity bus services at Parnell Place will be available via the Mary Elmes pedestrian bridge from MacCurtain Street.

The line will then travel south across a new public transport bridge over the River Lee from Horgan's Quay to the south docklands. TII said it is engaging with representatives of the maritime community about the impact of the new bridge on river activity, and with Cork City Council on the integration of the route with the wider development of the docklands.

Luas Cork is designed to carry up to 3,000 passengers per hour in each direction at peak times by 2035, with services running every six minutes, and higher-frequency trams to sporting venues and events when required. The projected journey time is 35 minutes from Ballincollig to Cork city centre, and 20 minutes from Mahon Point to the city centre. Forecast demand is more than 18 million passenger journeys per year by 2035, with 70,000 people within a 15-minute walk of a Luas stop and 150,000 within a 15-minute cycle.

A TII spokesperson said the body has engaged directly with clubs, schools, and CUH on the proposals to minimise impact on their lands "and maximise the benefits to all".

Taoiseach Micheál Martin:

"I am pleased to see the launch of the public consultation on the preferred route, and I encourage people to have their say on this transformational project which reflects our programme for government commitment to develop strategic and sustainable transport where it is most needed."

Darragh O'Brien, Minister for Transport: "I encourage public engagement in this new public consultation as we seek to deliver this important new light rail line, which is underpinned by huge Government investment and will be transformative for the people of Cork."

Jerry Buttimer, Fine Gael TD for Cork South-Central and Minister of State at the Department of Transport:

"We must have strong, ongoing engagement and ensure that sensible decisions around location are made. I want to encourage people to engage in this public consultation, and I have been promised by the NTA and TII that this consultation is paramount."

Full details of the preferred route, drawings, and supporting documents are now available on luascork.ie, where members of the public can make submissions until 5.30pm on Friday 12 June. Submissions can also be made through the TII consultation portal, by email to info@luascork.ie, by phone on 1800 777 321, or by post to Luas Cork, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, PO Box 13605, Little Island, Cork.

Four open days will be held across the city during the consultation period, each running from 12pm to 8pm: the Kingsley Hotel, Victoria Cross, on Wednesday 6 May; Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Thursday 7 May; The Carraig Centre, Ballincollig, on Tuesday 12 May; and the Metropole Hotel, MacCurtain Street, on Friday 13 May. TII has said its project team will also arrange in-person briefings with organisations and stakeholders throughout the consultation.

Once the consultation closes, TII and the National Transport Authority (NTA) will review the submissions received before preparing a final route design for the application of a railway order, the statutory planning authorisation required to build or alter major railway infrastructure, including any compulsory land acquisition. While the 2025 National Development Plan committed funding to Luas Cork, no firm construction timeline has yet been confirmed.