It comes as public consultation on the emerging preferred route closed on Monday at 5pm.

Labour Party councillor Peter Horgan said that people in his area have a huge amount of research to get through.

Once public consultation closes on June 9, the team will take the , consider tweaks to the route, and publish a preferred route “probably in the course of the next year”.

Mr Martin said the proposed Ballincollig to Mahon route would depend on the results of the public consultation and, following on from the eventual first route, other developments could then be examined.

Con Dennehy who runs the bar with his partner Kate, expressed his shock following the announcement of the proposed route which, under the current plans, would see his premises demolished.

The public consultation is open for eight weeks until Monday June 9 at 5.30pm.

The Transport Minister has said a public consultation for this project will launch "in the coming months".

Speaking in Cork on Friday Eamon Ryan said he would expect the line to come north and to link up right outside Kent Station  

One render shows the Light Rail Transit (LRT) tram system — set to connect Ballincollig in the west to Mahon Point in the east via the city centre — running along Skehard Rd, while the other shows it on MacCurtain St.

Chamber president Conor Healy said 'it’s absolutely essential' that the Cork light rail system gets advanced.

Information obtained by the Labour Party revealed that there is no exact date for the publication of the emerging preferred route - which has twice been delayed already.

It comes following remarks which led some to believe that Leo Varadkar was dismissing the proposed Luas-style tram for Cork in favour of a Dart-type model.

A city councillor said a sense of urgency should be applied to major transport projects for Cork city, in particular the light rail system and the Northern Distributor Road