Emerging Preferred Route 2025

A non-statutory public consultation was held on the Emerging Preferred Route which closed on 9 June 2025. We are very grateful to everyone who made a submission.

Please find a collection of relevant documents from this stage of development below.

You can read all submissions to the 2025 Emerging Preferred Route here.

The Emerging Preferred Route Consultation

A detailed report on submissions made during the 2025 consultation is available here. Here’s our response to some of the more popular requests.

The impact of the EPR on Churchyard Lane and Ballintemple was the subject of many concerns raised by residents and businesses in the area.

We explored alternative routes that might allow us to reach key destinations while avoiding the pinch-point at Churchyard Lane. The most feasible alternative option was to revert to the route proposed in CMATS - the Greenway. After much study we concluded that there were too many negative impacts to justify this alternative.

  • Moving to the Greenway would mean reaching fewer passengers.
  • The character of the Greenway would change irrevocably. Space would be limited in places for the thousands of people who delight in the natural beauty of this amenity.
  • There are potential effects on the Greenway’s biodiversity, historic bridges and railway structures.
  • The presence of a high-pressure gas mains and pumped main drainage makes the construction of a tram line extremely challenging.
  • An alignment within the Greenway would be restricted to a single-track arrangement which creates operational constraints and a ‘cap’ on future capacity.
  • Without this alternative, the most viable way to make Luas Cork work is to go up Churchyard Lane. It’s the best way to serve the whole city and all its people. We commit to working very closely with local residents and businesses to minimise the impact.

Many submissions concerned the proposal to create a one-way loop through Ballincollig via Station Road and Leo Murphy Road. It was suggested that the EPR should be moved further west, broadening the catchment area to include existing housing, future housing and major industry. The impact on Station Road caused concerns around accessibility - especially at school drop-off times.

The Preferred Route is moving further west as far as Flynn’s Road which will widen the catchment area. For now, the case to go as far as Dell Technologies is not strong enough, but the design does not preclude this in the future. The proposed route still involves Station Road, but we’ve made some changes to improve access. Traffic will now be two-way as far as Beech Park (when travelling from the south on Station Road) and other changes will minimise the impact on the Church of St Mary and St John. We have also improved the road configuration to provide footpaths on both sides of the road.

Residents on Melbourn Road and Curraheen Road expressed concern about existing traffic congestion which would be exacerbated by Luas.

The biggest change from the EPR to the Preferred Route occurs at the northern end of Melbourn Road. Rather than continuing southwards on Melbourn Road and on to Curraheen Road, the route will now turn east and run uphill past Bishopstown Community School, Ballinaspig Lawn, Bishopstown GAA, Highfield Rugby Club, Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh, Saint Columba’s Convent and then through Cork University Hospital (CUH) campus.

Because of the segregation in this area, the new route will shorten journey times and significantly improve the reliability of the Luas across the whole line. It provides excellent access for the schools and sports clubs and will reduce traffic congestion in the area. Direct access into CUH will provide an attractive alternative to cars for its staff, patients and visitors. TII will be engaging directly with the clubs, schools and CUH on the details of this proposal to minimise the impact on their lands and maximise the benefits to all.

The public, key stakeholders and elected representatives expressed huge support for Luas Cork with many suggestions to extend the proposed route in all directions: south to the airport, to Douglas, Carrigaline and Rochestown, west towards Classis Lake and Ovens, and north to Glanmire, Hollyhill and Blackpool.

The integrated transport strategy for Cork (CMATS) identified that light rail was an appropriate solution along an east-west corridor between Mahon and Ballincollig. CMATS sets out the transport solutions for other areas of the city.

The current scope of the project, therefore, only considers the provision of light rail along this corridor. There may be opportunities to provide light rail to serve other areas in the future and the public will have an opportunity to inform any future strategy.

Luas Cork EPR Brochure

Drawing Book 1 - Ballincollig

Drawing Book 2 - Cork City West

Drawing Book 3 - Cork City Centre

Drawing Book 4 - Cork City East

City centre Alignment Options Report

Options Selection Report