Luas takes a trip down memory lane
The latest Luas test was conducted on a new line along part of the track bed of the old Harcourt Street rail route which closed almost 50 years ago.
The new tram traversed both the old viaduct at Milltown and the spectacular new cable-stayed Taney Bridge in Dundrum.
Transport Minister Seamus Brennan yesterday witnessed the live safety and engineering test on the Beechwood section of the Sandyford to St Stephen’s Green line.
“It’s another important milestone on the way to bringing alive again a highly efficient and regular daily commuter service along the old Harcourt Street line,” he said.
The 13-stop, 9km line is due to begin operations in the summer. The 40m tram can carry just over 300 passengers on the 22-minute Sandyford-St Stephen’s Green journey.
Ger Hannon of the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA), which is managing the €775 million Luas project, said the test went off without any hitches.
“With the service on this line being launched in June, a great buzz is being generated,” he said.
“The Harcourt Street line in particular has a huge historical significance for the people of Dublin, being once a part of the everyday lives of generations of Dublin people.”
The second Luas line, from Tallaght to Connolly, is due to come on stream in August.
Mr Hannon said: “The RPA took a fair amount of stick from the media last year, most of it, I believe, undeserved. Luas did not overrun its time schedule and the contract estimates envisaged were correct. Effectively, the RPA has delivered.”
The construction works on the Harcourt Street line will be completed by the end of March.
Mr Brennan said: “Within months, much of that old Harcourt Street route will again bustle with crowds and a great sense of anticipation and excitement.”
He added: “I have no hesitation in predicting Luas will be an undoubted success, enormously beneficial in meeting commuter needs in the 21st century.”
