5 days ago
TFI Local Link to enhance Route 530 in north Cork
This new route is part of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan which is a major national public transport initiative developed and funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of the Transport for Ireland (TFI) Network.
Route 530 will support the current door-to-door service between Mallow and Fermoy offering passengers more ways to travel.
It will operate seven daily return services Monday to Sunday with an additional early morning service operating from Monday to Saturday.
The new route will provide peak-time and evening services.
It will also improve connectivity to Mallow Train Station to facilitate onward travel, regional bus services and to the villages and areas of Ballyhooly, Castletownroche and Killavullen.
Fianna Fáil councillor Gearóid Murphy said the new service will provide a 'big' boost for people travelling in north Cork. 'I am delighted to welcome the new service, which will more than triple the number of buses running between Mallow and Fermoy on a daily basis. Up until now, there have been only two buses per day, and none at all on weekends, so this will be a dramatic improvement to the service. This will be a big boost for people travelling between Mallow, Killavullen, Castletownroche, Ballyhooly and Fermoy.'
TFI Local Link Cork General Manager David O'Brien said TFI Local Link Cork recognises that localised transport solutions are an essential component in combating rural isolation. 'This new service will provide people living along the route with access to services and onward connections on a daily basis.
'The enhanced service will mean a significant improvement in the quality of life for people living in these areas. People can now access a wide range of public and social services, training courses, colleges, hospital appointments, supported with bus and rail onward connections,' he added.
It was recently revealed that the number of customers using the TFI Local Link services in Cork has quadrupled since the rollout of Connecting Ireland in 2022.
Journey numbers have reached a record high, with people now using TFI Local Link bus services more than 100,000 times a week across rural Ireland.
This figures includes 5,365 passengers in Cork.
These bus services are provided for the National Transport Authority (NTA) by 15 Local Link offices around the country.
In Cork alone, passenger numbers have surged, driven by the introduction or enhancement of four key routes.
These include: Route 523: Mitchelstown to Mallow, Route 232: Allihies to Kilcrohane and Route 522: Charleville to Mallow.
