*Photo via Ryder Cup website
THE National Transport Authority (NTA) has put a €6m estimate on a contract to provide ‘park and ride’ and ‘train and ride’ services for the 2027 Ryder Cup in Adare, Co Limerick.
In tender documents published today, the NTA is seeking transport firms to operate the passenger transport services for the event over six days.
The staging of the event in September 2027 is expected to deliver a significant economic dividend for the midwest and the country – the 2023 Ryder Cup held in Rome which resulted in an estimated economic impact of €262 million for Italy, including 241,000 visitors from 200 different countries.
Some 280,000 fans from around the world will travel to the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor from September 14 to September 19 2027.
The NTA tender splits the contract into three lots – park and ride bus services on four routes between four park and ride sites and two terminal sites at the event and passenger train services operating on one rail route between Limerick Colbert Station and the Adare Event Site.
The new NTA contract also includes wheelchair accessible passenger transport services on four routes variously to an allocated terminal at Adare Event Site
The tender states that the services are required to operate between the hours of 05:00am (05:30am on Final Day) and 11pm for the six-day Event.
The tender states that it is anticipated that up to 30,000 passengers may avail of the Park and Ride bus services in each direction on each day of the Event.
In addition, the tender states that it is anticipated that around 2,000 passengers could avail of the Train and Ride services in each direction on each day of the event.
In May, construction started on a temporary train station at Adare to “support thousands of spectators travelling to and from the Ryder Cup”.
Construction of the temporary station, which will consist of a platform and external concourse, is expected to take six months and will cost €3m.
Lot 3 is to involve the provision of 20 wheelchair vehicles to operate four routes variously between Colbert Station, Adare Manor Station, Zone A2 area and P+R No 3 site to an allocated terminal at the Event Site
The tender states that the four temporary Park and Ride (P&R) bus sites will be provided by Limerick City and County Council and managed, on their behalf, by an Event Manager. Each Park and Ride will have separate car parking areas and a Bus Operations Zone.
A separate tender advertised by Limerick City and County Council earlier this year identified the four Park ’n Ride sites at Croagh West, Croagh North and Croagh South, Patrickswell Field+Race Course and ‘Mackey’ with cumulative parking spaces of 24,500 vehicles.
The closing date for tenders is October 5th.
