Jacobs Engineering, an engineering company based in Ireland, has been given the contract to identify possible routes and develop designs for the new Luas line.
The route options are for linking stops via Cork city to the new Cork Luas line. The proposed route would start from Ballincollig and Mahon Point, east and west of Cork City.
A spokesperson for the Cork Luas project said that the route would consider areas of demand for transport.
Education and industry hotspots, Cork Science and Innovation Park, Cork University Hospital, Retail, the city centre, and the north and south docklands and Cork Institute of Technology and University College Cork are included in the list of proposed stops.
Officials do not expect the Covid-19 crisis to have a negative impact on the initial stages of the project.
The National Transport Authority had a meeting in Cork couple of weeks ago to discuss the strategy and the NTA Chief Executive Anne Graham said that Cork City Council members showed “overwhelming support” for the current plan.
“It was that if the plan is to remain a credible document in the eyes of people in Cork, progress on implementing the core elements is necessary, anytime soon,” Graham said.
Due to the restrictions of Covid-19, people traveling across the country have fallen since March.