Upgraded Carlow Town Bus Park officially opened

The newly upgraded Carlow Town Bus Park which will includes accessible bus stops and improves bus stop capacity has been officially opened.

The event was performed on Thursday February 9th at 11.00am by the Mayor of Carlow, Councillor Fintan Phelan, in the presence of The Cathaoirleach, Councillor Brian O Donoghue, Members of the Carlow Municipal District, representatives of the major Bus Companies which use the bus park, representatives of the contactor and Council Officials.

Construction began in September 2022 on the upgrading of Carlow Town Bus Park. The upgrade project was managed and delivered by Carlow Municipal District Office and forms part of the Active Travel Programme which is funded by the National Transport Authority.

The upgraded bus park provides the community with accessible bus stops and improves bus stop capacity for the various bus services. The upgrade works involved the resurfacing of the bus park access road & car park, upgrading of existing public lighting, refurbishment of the existing bus shelter & provision of a new double bus shelter, provision of additional EV rapid charging bays and provision of seating & cycle parking.

The project went beyond just upgrading the existing bus park; it also gave the community a new space for active travel along the River Burrin. This was achieved by constructing a shared cycleway/walkway that connects the Linear and Hanover Cycleway/Footway. Furthermore, a seating and picnic area with biodiversity planting was added overlooking Hanover Weir.

The newly upgraded bus park will also contain Carlow’s first smart bench. The smart bench, powered by solar energy, offers a WiFi hotspot and the ability to charge mobile devices, as well as featuring environmental sensors.

The Carlow Town Bus Park project provides further infrastructural and amenity improvements within Carlow Town and creates a more attractive and fitting experience for passengers arriving and departing from our town centre.