Tánaiste Simon Coveney is keen to see Cork city get a light rail system, but admits the viability of such a project is still under consideration.

His remarks will help fuel further support for the city to get its own Luas, a development the government has committed to considering in the years ahead.

“What we’ve agreed to in the 2040 plan is that we would investigate the potential for a light rail service in Cork,” he said.

While no likely route has been committed to for Cork, the Tánaiste said:

“I think those of us who know the city well know the route it will be likely to be on, linking up the docklands with Ballincollig, the city centre, the main hospitals, the CIT, which will by then be a technological university, as well as UCC and the higher density urban areas, residential areas of the city.”

There has been a delay in the publication of the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy, which is expected to outline plans for the Cork Luas.

The strategy is being prepared by local authorities, in partnership with the National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, and has been promised for many months.

Mr Coveney admits there is still a long road ahead for the potential new public transport project which will be considered under the Government’s promised Project Ireland 2040.

“But look, there is work to do to assess the feasibility of that, but in the meantime a significant amount of money has been committed for a bus connects project in Cork to ensure we increase the number of buses and ensure we increase the bus transport system,” he said.

“I think everybody in Cork would like at some stage in the future to see a light rail system — certainly I would.

The numbers have got to stack up of course, and I think there’s work to do to assess the viability and potential of that before we commit the significant resources that will be required.

The Government was accused of prioritising Dublin over Cork after the vital transport strategy, set to be published 10 months ago, was delayed.

Officially, Transport Minister Shane Ross has instead promoted new bus routes for Cork as opposed to detailing any specifics around any new light rail system.

Mr Ross has also expressed caution around the Luas plan for Cork, saying recently: “A lot was made in Project 2040 of Cork’s ability to grow, with ambitious population targets.

That’s not going to be possible without infrastructure. These significant projects take time to go through planning and consultation. People might have concerns that need to be addressed, so we need a good run into this.”