Red Cow crux 'won't delay Luas'
One proposed solution to minimise traffic disruption caused by Luas is to elevate the line, while another is to bring forward the planned upgrading of the junction. Although, Mr Brennan said the problem would not delay the introduction of the service in August 2004, he did admit that it presented a huge engineering challenge.
“We will see if we can meet it,” he declared when testing began on the Luas tracks between the roundabout and The Square in Tallaght.
A Luas tram left the Red Cow depot yesterday morning carrying technical staff and an independent assessor. It was the first time a tram has travelled on the public roadway and it swished along just as the engineers intended, much to the delight of project director Michael Sheedy.
The minister said he found the tram aesthetically pleasing and very comfortable.
“People will love it when they see it moving throughout the city and county. My door will be knocked down with people looking for line extensions,” he said.
He also said it was critical that the Luas was integrated with the Metro, and he would be insisting on that with the Rail Procurement Agency. He wanted to see the two systems actually mesh together and communicate with each other so it was possible to step off a tram and onto a train at the same platform.
