Gardaí caught up with joyriders after youths went on-the-rails
The incident, which happened at rush hour around 8am, caused major disruption on the Tallaght-Connolly line, with services delayed for half an hour.
The stolen Honda Civic was one of two cars being chased by gardaí along the Naas Road at the time. Garda vehicles from Crumlin and Ronanstown stations were in pursuit, along with the garda helicopter.
The cars took a right at the bottom of the Naas Road onto Davitt Road, and one of them ended up on the Luas line, which runs parallel to Davitt Road.
Gardaí said the Honda Civic drove down the rail line for around 150 yards before getting stuck on the raised lines. The car’s three occupants ran into nearby Lansdowne Valley Park, where they were caught.
Gardaí said the Honda Civic had been stolen from the Portlaoise area the previous night.
The second car - containing two passengers - got away, but gardaí are confident they know the identity of the occupants.
The entire chase is estimated to have lasted around 12 minutes.
The chase began after an off-duty garda spotted the two cars on the Naas Road.
One of the cars had been pursued by gardaí the previous day after it was seen driving dangerously around Crumlin and the city centre.
That chase, which lasted around 20 minutes, was called off when officers felt the speeding car posed a risk to children who were leaving school at the time.
That car involved in that chase, and the Honda Civic, were spotted again yesterday morning by the off-duty garda.
Gardaí said the five youths, aged between 17 and 25, were part of a 12-strong gang from around Crumlin, which were causing problems in the area.
A spokeswoman for the tram company, Connex, said services were delayed by 30 minutes in both directions but had then returned to normal.
The three youths were last night expected to be charged in connection with the incident.
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