€100 Million Luas Green Line Project Approved

The €100 million Luas Green Line Capacity Enhancement Project has been green lit by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross.

Announcing the funding approval, Minister Ross said: "I'm delighted to announce that the project to enhance the Luas Green Line will commence in 2018. This is an ambitious endeavour which will see an additional eight trams being added to the Luas fleet, the lengthening of the existing 26 Green line trams and the extension of the Sandyford Depot in order to accommodate these longer trams. The new trams will allow for 60 additional passengers to be carried per tram – a total of 369 people per tram in all."

Minister Ross continued: "This is a follow on project from Luas Cross City which I look forward to launching on December 9th. A complementary project to lengthen the platforms at Green Line stations is also near completion. All these initiatives combined will add greatly to the choice and experience of the travelling public and ease congestion in the city."

The Green Line Capacity Enhancement project is identified in the National Transport Authority's Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2016-2035. The capacity increases at peak periods provided by the project will assist in reducing crowding on the Green Line thus enhancing accessibility for mobility and sensory impaired users during these periods. After the opening of Luas Cross City the capacity on the Green line will be approximately 6,400 passengers per direction per hour based on 21 trams per hour. At the end of the Green Line capacity project the capacity will increase to approximately 8,160 passengers per direction per hour based on 24 trams per hour. The increase in capacity is 1,760 passengers per direction per hour.

Minister Ross concluded: "More trams, longer trams, connecting trams, longer platforms and a bigger depot to house them in – all great news for our public transport system."

(MH/JP)