A proposed pedestrian bridge between Killarney train and bus stations will not be "progressed at present".
That's according to an answer by the National Transport Authority to a parliamentary question, posed by Kerry Fianna Fáil TD Michael Cahill.
While the bus station and railway station in Killarney are located adjacent to one another, passenger transfer between the two is indirect and inconvenient.
The NTA says passengers transferring between Killarney bus and railway stations currently have two options: the first involves walking approximately 350m through the Killarney Outlet Centre, which is only accessible during business hours, while the second option is used when the centre is closed; it requires a slightly longer 400m walk around the perimeter of the Outlet Centre via public footpaths.
Councillors in Killarney Municipal District have long been calling for the bridge to improve the situation.
In 2019, Irish Rail identified a pedestrian bridge, with lifts, stairs, connecting walkways, and a 44m reduction of the northern railway siding, as the preferred solution to improve connectivity between the bus and railway stations, and potentially reduce walking time to two or three minutes.
At that time, the project was estimated to cost between €1.5 and €2 million, but due to construction inflation, the NTA estimates the 2025 cost has doubled to between €3 to €5 million.
The NTA told Deputy Cahill that the proposal is not being progressed due to its high capital cost, limited funding availability, and the prioritisation of more urgent accessibility needs at other transport locations across the network.
Independent Kerry TD Danny Healy Rae says he is very disappointed by the NTA's decision.
