Cork Commuter Coalition Submission to the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2022-2042

The below submission is on the behalf of the Cork Commuter Coalition, an advocacy group pushing for better public transport and sustainable mobility in the Cork Metropolitan Area. We are a Cork based group, and as such, our attention is focused mainly on projects and schemes in the Cork Metropolitan Area. However, sometimes there are plans elsewhere in the country that have significant repercussions on transport in Cork. The GDA Transport Strategy 2022-2042 is one such plan.

Our main objection focuses around the rail aspect of the plan, and specifically the Dart+ Tunnel, formerly known as the Interconnector, between Heuston and Connolly Stations. These two main termini are the endpoints of the Cork to Dublin and Dublin to Belfast routes respectively. The distance between them makes any connection between these stations difficult, and makes a direct Cork to Belfast route almost impossible. It is with disappointment that we note the Dart+ Tunnel has been omitted from the remit of this plan, and simply delayed until the post-2042 period. Of the three major cities on this island, Cork and Belfast are the only pair without a direct rail connection. The lengthy travel gap between Connolly and Heuston significantly increases the travel time between these two cities – from between 4 and 5 hours by car, compared to 6 hours by train (including cross-Dublin interchange) – making travel by car comparatively more attractive to travel by train. There are also notable economic implications from this, as with less connectivity comes less integration, and reduces any chance of taking opportunity from Northern Ireland’s unique post-Brexit constitutional position, and creating a more unified coastal economy between Cork, Dublin, and Belfast. 

At a time when the Europe-wide trend is more rail connection between major cities, it is disappointing to see that rail connection between these major cities is being abandoned to a future generation. While there are other issues with the GDA Transport Strategy 2022-2042, such as similarly stretched timeframes for many planned Luas routes, we feel that our friends and colleagues at the Dublin Commuter Coalition will be best placed to comment on these. 

Yours,

Members of the Cork Commuter Coalition

Metrolink Delay and the Future of Cork’s Transport Infrastructure

Below is a statement from the Cork Commuter Coalition on the postponement of Dublin’s Metrolink project until 2034.

As the Cork Commuter Coalition, we primarily advocate for improved public transport links across Cork City and County, though naturally we are also strong supporters of public transit projects in other counties and cities. We know that no county is an island, and that good public transport benefits everyone, and society as a whole.

As such, the news of the seven year delay of Dublin’s Metrolink is a massive blow to the aims of creating a unified rapid transit system across Ireland. Our sympathies are with the people of Dublin as they are yet again denied a vital piece of infrastructure. Whereas a shorter-term delay owing to the Covid crisis would be understandable, a seven year delay can only be described as political negligence. There is also the fact that the decision to not immediately proceed with construction also opens up the project to a further litany of challenges, including those which previously saw the scope of the project cut in two, and other instances of parochial politics and the playing of political football.

We believe that this delay seriously undermines the government’s commitment to the delivery of sustainable public transport, especially one that was formed on the basis of taking climate change seriously, and providing sufficient action to promote sustainable transportation modes.

This also severely impacts the level of faith which can be placed in the government to deliver other key pieces of transportation infrastructure. Naturally, this episode has serious implications for Cork. The Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy outlining significant investment in Cork’s transport networks, including the construction of a 20km light rail corridor, and the electrification of the commuter rail network. These projects are of vital importance to the growth of Cork City, and represent a major investment for both current and future citizens of Cork. Despite the large sum of money expected to be committed to transport in the upcoming National Development Plan (NDP), we are keen that we do not see a repeat of the ‘lost generation’ of transport investment, and that the Metrolink’s delay does not cause a domino effect with other major transport projects.

We want to see commitments from the government to the original timeline for the Cork Luas, which will see the light rail infrastructure enter service between 2031 and 2040. We have sought information from Minister Ryan and the Department of Transportation as to whether the Cork Luas and other Cork projects will see similar delays.

We are at a point in time where transit projects should be sped up, expanded in scope, and advocated for with every inch of political might. To opt for death-by-delay is a simply unacceptable scenario.

Le meas,

The Cork Commuter Coalition