Hard though it is to believe, Dublin’s new tram system. The Luas has been with us for just over a year. After what seemed like an eternity in the planning and construction, the system finally began operating last year. In that short time, the sleek, silver bullet-shaped tramcars have become a familiar, almost iconic sight. Thanks in no small way to Luas, Dublin now has a distinctly continental, European feel with a more people-friendly public transport system.
“Overall we’ve been delighted with the first of operation,” says Tom Manning, PR Manager of the RPA (Railway Procurement Agency), the body charged with operating the system. “The take-up has far exceeded our expectations to the point where we are now carrying 65,000 people per day. We don’t have rock solid figures but we estimate that 50% of our passengers are motorists, so that’s over 30,000 less cars on the road network. We’re already looking at increasing the size of the trams, as they can get quite full at times.”
In international terms, the Luas system is relatively small and consists of just two routes – the Red Line serving the south western conurbation that is Tallaght (and all points in between) and the Green Line, serving the south city as far as Sandyford in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains. But between them they serve a total of 36 stations, covering a sizeable chunk of this congested city. For those lucky enough to live on or near the line it’s been a godsend – who wouldn’t want to have access to fast, clean and relatively cheap public transport? According to Manning, property prices have risen by an average of 15% along Luas routes. “That’s what the estate agents are telling us,” he says. “It’s not all that surprising as access to public transport is a major issue with everyone these days.”
It’s not just those who live along the lines who have benefited from the introduction of the Luas. With the Green Line terminating at the top of busy Grafton Street (as well as serving the massive new Dundrum shopping centre) and the Red Line traversing O’Connell Street, calling at both Heuston and Connolly Stations along the way, few of the capital’s citizens haven’t made use of Luas at one time or another.
“We seem to be answering a big need,” says Manning. “We’ve been taken by suprise at the off-peak usage. And you can see it when there are any special events attracting large crowds. We put on extra trams for all the big matches in Croke Park, for example, and for the recent U2 concerts. There was a huge take up.” The early days of Luas were characterised by a spate of (thankfully minor) accidents mainly involving cars colliding with trams at busy junctions and in at least one case a car driving up a tram-only ramp. “The number of accidents, touch wood, has decreased significantly,” says Manning. "We don’t want to tempt fate – the Tallaght line runs mainly on the streets and it’s a constant concern – but driver behaviour has improved.”
Another concern was about the potential for vandalism. Again, this fear has proved unfounded. “What we have discovered is that there’s a real sense of ownership from people along the line resulting in a surprisingly low level of vandalism,” Manning maintains. “We worked hard at it. We have made a lot of effort to build up links with local communities. We clean up the trams every night and repair any damage immediately. We also maintain the tram stops very thoroughly.”
One of the key criticisms of the system is that the two lines aren’t linked together. However, plans are now being made which may see a link-up in the near future making the two lines fully integrated. “We have a team working on the link between the two lines,” explains Manning. “We are not going to foist anything on the public. We are waiting to hear the Transport Minister’s ten-year plan for the city in terms of the metro and other transport proposals. We're also at an advanced stage in the planning for the extension of the Green Line. It will go from Sandyford through Foxrock and Carrickmines to Cherrywood. For a change, the infrastructure will be in place ahead of the development.”