ROUTE OPTIONS FOR the new Cork Luas line to link stops across Cork city are to be identified by an Ireland-based engineering company.

Jacobs Engineering Ireland has been awarded the contract to identify possible routes and develop designs for the new Luas line.

The proposed line would run from Ballincollig and Mahon Point, stretching to the east and west of Cork city.

Retail, education and industry hotspots have been identified as potential locations for stops, including Cork Science and Innovation Park, Cork University Hospital, the city centre, and the north and south docklands.

Cork Institute of Technology and University College Cork are also included in the list of proposed stops.

The engineers will consider potential route options to link the stops together along the new line.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, a spokesperson for the Cork Luas project said that the route will consider areas of demand for transport.

“As part of the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy that was developed, it’s identified the route along which there would be demand and the optimum route for that, and that incorporates the stops mentioned.”  

It is not expected that work on the beginning stages of the project to develop the new Cork Luas line will be significantly affected by Covid-19.

“At the moment, there’s nothing forseen on that side of things,” the spokesperson said.

“The NTA [National Transport Authority] was down in a meeting in Cork a number of weeks ago to discuss the strategy and its rollout.”

NTA Chief Executive Anne Graham said that Cork City Council members showed “overwhelming support” for the Cork Metropolitan Transport Strategy, which includes the plan for the new Cork Luas.

“It was also clear to us that if the Strategy is to remain a credible document in the eyes of people in Cork, it is essential that progress is made on the delivery of the key elements, sooner rather than later,” Graham said.

Public transport use around the country has slowed over the last few months due to the impact of Covid-19 and restrictions on movement.

In Dublin, passenger trips on the Luas dropped from 914,000 in the first week of March to under 100,000 trips a week between 30 March and 18 May, hitting a low in April with just 49,000 trips taken in one week in the middle of the month.