Photograph: Liu Song/VCG via Getty ImagesIreland can learn from China’s rural transport strategy when it comes to expediting delivery of projects such as MetroLink and Cork Light Rail, Minister of State Jerry Buttimer has said. He said Ireland had been behind the curve in developing infrastructure but that China excelled at rolling out big projects. “They’ve developed a rural transport strategy. They’ve developed a light rail and a rail system that is carbon friendly, that is meeting their climate change commitments,” he told The Irish Times. “We’re now looking at our biggest transport project, the MetroLink, at €8 billion and looking at Cork Light Rail.

Source: The Irish Times March 16, 2026 14:46 UTC