Iarnród Éireann turns down Cork City Council request to take 'robot trees' over safety concerns 

Safety concerns led Iarnród Éireann to turn down a request by Cork City Council to take its controversial “robot trees”, which cost more than €444,000 and were removed at short notice last month.

The five 4m-tall “CityTrees”, which were installed on Patrick Street and the Grand Parade in August 2021, contained moss walls designed to filter pollutants from the air, and were removed early on Sunday, May 18.

According to correspondence released by Cork City Council following a freedom of information request by Thomas Gould, Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, Iarnród Éireann was asked in February to take the CityTrees at the end of that month.

Wrote

On February 4, an official from Cork City Council wrote to an Iarnród Éireann staff member, saying: “We are currently preparing a press release for that week, are you happy for us to say the walls are being transported to Irish Rail where they will be trialled in a train station platform setting?

“Also, are you working with any university/college on this that we could refer to as well as part of this pilot study?”

The Iarnród Éireann staff member replied within the hour, saying its building and maintenance department had not approved the installation “due to safety concerns”.

“Specifically, they must not contain flammable elements, such as the wooden slats on the exterior, and there is also a risk of them being used for climbing,” they said.

They added that while the devices’ manufacturer had suggested fire extinguishers or fire-retardant paint as mitigation measures, “these do not reach fire safety regulations”.

“Additionally, there is a strict prohibition on wooden elements in high-traffic railway stations.

“As a result, we cannot proceed with the installation of these moss walls in our train stations.”

According to the Freedom of Information request released to Mr Gould, the devices cost €366,114.29 to install, and a total of €78,248.73 in repairs and maintenance, with the final bill coming to €444,363.02, leaving the local authority €34,618.08 short after it received a grant of €409,744.94 from the National Transport Authority for the purchase.

Describing the devices as “a failed science experiment”, Mr Gould noted that the council had promised in 2023 “an extensive scientific study” on the CityTrees — a report that has never been published.

“These ineffective robot trees have now been placed into indefinite storage to rot away,” said Mr Gould.

“That is because nobody wants these expensive gimmicks. The council tried to transfer them to Irish Rail but were refused.

“There should be no more gimmicks in Cork City — we need safe footpaths, accessible benches, and sufficient rubbish bins to prevent dog fouling.

“These may not be glamorous initiatives, but they will make a huge, real difference in the lives of ordinary people in our city.”

Cork City Council was asked for comment.