Luas Cork: strong public support, but planning slips to late 2028
85% of respondents back Luas Cork, and two stops are added after consultation. The planning application has slipped to late 2028.
3 min read
Luas Cork came back from public consultation this autumn, with strong support and a later planning date. Here’s where it stands, and what’s still undecided.
Luas Cork is a proposed light rail line of about 18 km from Ballincollig to Mahon Point. Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII)’s preferred route has 27 proposed stops, one of them for the future. It would run past MTU, Cork University Hospital and UCC, through the city centre to Kent Station, and on through the Docklands and past Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
The consultation: the preferred route went out for consultation from 17 April to 12 June 2026. TII’s report on it counted 1,733 submissions, and more than 1,600 people came to the consultation events. 85.2% of respondents support building light rail in Cork.
Changes after consultation, in TII’s report:
- New stops: one at Victoria Cross, and another in the Docklands, which TII says will serve 20,000 new homes and almost 25,000 jobs.
- Moved stops: the UCC stop moves closer to the main gates on Donovan Road, and the Páirc Uí Chaoimh stop moves too.
- Ballincollig: the line now starts at a single-track loop at Carriganarra Road and Station Road.
The sticking point is Bishopstown. The route runs south onto Melbourn Road, past Bishopstown GAA and Highfield Rugby Club, and through the hospital campus. 44.8% of submissions were about Bishopstown.
- Highfield RFC called the route an “existential threat” to its future.
- Bishopstown GAA said it would “fight to the end”.
- TII’s report says the clubs’ concerns need “careful consideration”.
The planning application has slipped. In April, TII’s head of light rail projects, Paolo Carbone, expected to apply for planning permission (a railway order) “in early 2028”. In August, the NTA’s deputy chief executive, Hugh Creegan, said in reply to a parliamentary question that “it is currently expected that a railway order will be lodged in Q4 2028”: at least nine months later. TII says it is “exploring all opportunities to fast-track” this.
When
| When | What’s due |
|---|---|
| Now | Preliminary design, business case, and environmental and technical assessments |
| Before applying | A statutory public consultation, another chance to have your say |
| End of 2028 | Railway order application to An Coimisiún Pleanála |
| 2029 to 2031 | Construction start: “could start by 2029”, said the Minister for Transport in December 2025; “should begin by 2031”, said TII in April 2026 |
| 2036 | First passengers, as TII hopes |
The cost has been reported at €2.5 billion-plus. No firm estimate has been published.
Sources: Luas Cork and its Preferred Route 2026 brochure (TII); The Echo, Key milestone in delivery of Cork Luas delayed by nine months (26 August 2026) and Strong public support for Luas Cork despite concerns about route changes (11 September 2026); TheJournal.ie, Luas Cork report (11 September 2026); Irish Examiner, Cork Luas build “to start in lifetime of this government” (26 December 2025).