Confusion remains over plan for Waterford bus services amid North Quays project

There remains confusion over the future of bus services in Waterford city amid the construction of the new Transport Hub on the North Quays.

It had long been expected that upon completion, the Transport Hub would be the main terminus for Waterford’s bus and rail services.

However, in October of last year, a planning application was submitted which revealed plans for an expansion to the current Waterford Bus Station on Merchant’s Quay.

This raised question marks over the future of Waterford bus services, many of which appear to remain unanswered.

Director of Services Gabriel Hynes spoke on the subject at the February plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council.

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Mr Hynes said: “Just in relation to Bus Éireann and where it’s located on the south of the Quay, there’s a very logical reason why we would put both of them [bus and train services] together.

“However, the difficulty with putting the Transport Hub and the buses together is that all the buses will have to go over Rice Bridge. That would be a problem.

“From a frequency point of view, to ensure we get efficiency with Bus Connects, the location of the bus terminal is probably the appropriate location.”

However, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has said that bus services are still expected to operate from the North Quays.

In a statement to WaterfordLive, a NTA spokesperson said: “The National Transport Authority (NTA) is currently engaging with Waterford City & County Council on plans for operating existing bus services to the new station on the North Quays.

“It is anticipated that urban, commuter, and regional bus routes will serve the new rail station, subject to the availability of funding and agreement on the necessary operational arrangements.

“As this work is ongoing, the NTA has no specific proposals available at this stage.”

At a council meeting late last year, Fine Gael councillor Pat Nugent raised the issue of the plans for the existing Waterford Bus Station on Merchants Quay.

He expressed concern over the prospect of people, after getting off the train at the new Transport Hub, potentially having to walk across the new bridge to the old bus station.

He asked if there were discussions ongoing between the council and Bus Éireann regarding the changing of bus routes to factor in the new Transport Hub.

“The train station won’t be open until 2027 and there’s plenty of time for a discussion. I think it has to happen now because the distance between the new train station and the bus station is twice as long as the one from the train station that’s there at present,” Cllr Nugent added.

In response, Director of Services Michael Quinn said that any changes to bus routes will be decided by the NTA and not the local authority.

Mr Quinn said: “A number of the bus routes will have to be reconfigured so that they can go through the new transport hub as part of their route in and out of the city so that is something we have raised with the NTA.

“It’s just a formal process that will be [completed] in due course so we will keep pursuing it.”

Mr Quinn added that whilst the majority of the council’s discussions with the NTA up to that point had centred around funding, it could now start to focus on “what happens next”.

That meeting came just a week after Bus Éireann submitted a planning application for the expansion of Waterford Bus Station on Merchants Quay.

The plans include the construction of a single-storey extension to the rear of the existing bus station, the reconfiguration of the internal layout of the building to improve accessibility and functionality, and the construction of five new bus shelters.

The reconfiguration of existing bus bays, the construction of an outdoor storage area for goods and refuse, the provision of a guide dog relief area and the reconfiguration of the drop-off area to improve accessibility also form part of the plans.

While a decision was originally expected by November 30, the application is now marked as ‘on hold’, with further information being sought.

Waterford City and County Council has been approached for comment regarding the NTA’s position.