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"Cork Public transport
Bus
City
Cork City's public transportation is provided by the national bus operator Bus Éireann. Routes connect the city centre to the principal suburbs (Douglas, Grange, Blackrock, Bishopstown, Mayfield, Wilton etc) colleges, shopping centres and places of interest. There are also two city bus routes, that provide orbital services across the Northern and Southern districts of the city respectively. City routes are numbered from 1 through to 19 and tend to operate from South Mall, Grand Parade, Patrick's Street, Merchants Quay and also Sullivan's Quay (route 10 to Glasheen).
Suburban
Buses to the outer suburbs, such as Ballincollig, Glanmire and Carrigaline are provided from the city's bus terminal at Parnell Place in the city centre. These suburban services include the Cork Airport shuttle bus. There is also a park and ride facility in the south suburbs that allow easy access into the city centre. This is especially popular with students and commuters from not just the far suburbs but also the surrounding towns in County Cork.
Long Distance
Long distance buses depart from the bus terminal in Parnell Place to destinations throughout Ireland. Hourly services run to Killarney/Tralee, Waterford and Shannon Airport/Limerick/Galway and there are six services daily to Dublin. There is also a daily Eurolines bus service that connects Cork to Victoria Coach Station in London via South Wales and Bristol on an overnight sailing from Rosslare.
Ferry
The Cross River Ferry, from Rushbrooke to Passage West, links the R624 to R610. This service is useful when trying to avoid traffic congestion in Jack Lynch tunnel and Dunkettle area. Cork Ferry port is situated at Ringaskiddy, 16 km SE via the N28. A direct sea link is available to Roscoff (France) with Brittany Ferries. A long-established link with Swansea in Wales is currently out of service but it is widely hoped will be reinstated in 2008. A connecting bus service is available from the ferryport to the city centre. Plans for a water taxi service are being finalised to provide traffic free connections for both commuters and tourists alike.
Road
The Cork area has seen improvements in road infrastructure in recent years, especially with regards to National Primary roads. The Cork South Link road (a dual carriageway), built in the early 1980s, linking the Kinsale road roundabout with the city centre was the first of many improvements. Shortly afterwards, the first sections of the South Ring Road (dual carriageway) were opened. Work continued through the 1990s on extending the South Ring Road with the opening of the Jack Lynch Tunnel under the River Lee being the most significant addition. The Kinsale Road flyover opened in August 2006 to remove a major bottleneck for traffic heading to the Airport or Killarney. Also in the 1990s work progressed on the Cork to Midleton dual carriageway and the N8 Glanmire bypass dual carriageway. Other projects completed at this time include the N20 Blackpool bypass and the N20 Cork to Mallow road projects. The N8 Glanmire to Watergrasshill dual carriageway bypass was opened in 2002. The N22 Ballincollig dual carriageway bypass, which links to the Western end of the Cork Southern Ring road was opened in 2004. City Centre road improvements include the Patrick St. project which reconstructed the street with a pedestrian focus.
The M8 Rathcormac to Fermoy tolled motorway bypass (17.5 kilometres) has recently been completed and opened in October 2006.
Rail
Railway and tramway heritage
Cork was one of the most rail oriented cities in Ireland, featuring 8 stations at various times. The main route, still much the same today, is from Dublin. Originally terminating on the city's outskirts at Blackpool, the Glanmire tunnel connects it to the city centre terminus of Kent Station. Now a through station, the line through Kent connects the town of Cóbh east of the city. This also connected to the seaside town of Youghal, until the 1980s.
Other rail routes terminating or traversing Cork city were the Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway, a line to Macroom, the Cork and Muskerry Light Railway to Blarney, Coachford and Donoughmore, as well as the Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway connecting Bantry, Skibbereen, Clonakilty and many other West Cork towns. West Cork trains terminated at Albert Quay, across the river from Kent Station (though an on-street rail 'system' connected the two for rolling stock and cargo movement). All that remains of the once-extensive public transport system is the line to Dublin and that to Cobh.
Within the city there have been two tram networks in operation. A proposal to develop a horse-drawn tram (linking the city's railway termini) was made by American George Francis Train in the 1860s, and implemented in 1872 by the Cork Tramway Company. However, the company ceased trading in 1875 after Cork Corporation refused permission to extend the line.
In December 1898, an electric tram system began operating on the Blackpool-Douglas, Summerhill-Sunday's Well and Tivoli-Blackrock routes. The gauge of the tramway was (90.2cm) (2' 11½"), and designed to be the same as the Cork and Muskerry Light Railway. Increased usage of cars and buses in the 1920s led to a reduction in the use of trams, which discontinued operations permanently on September 30, 1931. Place names today still tell of the routes, such as Tramway Terrace in Douglas.
Current routes
* National
Cork's Kent Station is the main train station in the city. From here, services to all over Ireland (via Dublin or Limerick Junction) can be reached. The main line from Cork to Dublin, which is Ireland's busiest rail line, has hourly departures and a number of connecting services. Direct InterCity services are also available to Kerry, with direct services to Killarney and Tralee, although most services to Kerry involve a change at Mallow.
* Suburban
The Cork Suburban Rail system also departs from Kent Station and provides frequent connections to most areas of Metropolitan Cork with services to the north and east of the city including Little Island, Mallow, Fota and Cobh. This railway line provides essential transport for the thousands of commuters to the city every day from the city's suburbs. The east of the city is also a scenic route connecting several islands in Cork harbour with the city centre. The train is recommended for travel to Fota Island wildlife park, arboretum, golf club and Cobh Heritage Centre.
In November 2005, the Irish government announced the reopening of the railway line between Glounthaune (on the Cobh line) and Midleton as part of the country's 10 year development plan. New stations will be provided at Carrigtohill on the Midleton branch and at Kilbarry, Monard and Blarney on the Dublin line as part of the plan, along with the already operational Mallow station. The Midleton branch is scheduled to be reopened in 2009.
In April 2007, it was announced that the government was to carry out a feasibility study on bringing light rail to Cork."
This articol is release from GNU Free Documentation License. It use material from Wikipedia voices: "Cork".
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