The Economic Cost of Congestion in the Regional Cities 2022-2040
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From: Department of Transport
- Published on: 23 May 2025
- Last updated on: 23 May 2025
The Economic Cost of Congestion in the Regional Cities 2022-2040 is the latest study by the Department of Transport's Strategic Research and Analysis Division.
It builds upon the Economic Cost of Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area 2022-2040, published in 2023, by applying the same methodology to three of Ireland’s regional cities, Cork, Galway, and Waterford.
The results indicate that congestion will increase significantly over the coming decades across the regional cities, primarily driven by population and economic growth.
Investment in transport infrastructure, particularly large-scale public transport projects, will likely lead to a reduction in the rate of increase in the cost of congestion. However, increased congestion is an unavoidable consequence of continued economic and population growth.
The analysis also models the impact of an alternative future scenario which considers a reduction in transport demand due to changes in travel behaviour and increased working from home. Under this scenario, the cost of congestion is significantly lower.
