LUAS DOCKLANDS LAUNCH
The Minister for Transport, Mr. Noel Dempsey T.D., opened the new Luas Docklands (Line C1) extension today (8th December 2009). The official opening was also attended by Lord Mayor, Councillor Emer Costello and local representatives, local residents, industry representatives and other key stakeholders. The opening event was held in the National College of Ireland at the new Mayor Square /NCI Luas Stop.
Public Consultation for Luas Line C1 was launched in January 2001. This focused initially on proposals for a line which would extend the existing Luas Red Line from Busaras and Connolly east through Docklands to the proposed Point Village. The route for Luas Line C1 was announced in November 2003.The new route provided for stops at George’s Dock, Mayor Square, Spencer Dock and The Point. RPA submitted a Railway Order Application for this extension on 1st December 2005 which was followed by a Public Inquiry in May 2006. This Order became effective in February 2007 and construction work started shortly thereafter.RPA is pleased to note that the new line has been delivered within the agreed timeframe and within budget.
It is expected that the new 1.5km line will add 1.8 million passenger journeys to the Luas network in 2010 and is a key component of the Government’s Transport 21 programme. The cost of the Docklands extension is €90m and a list of key contractors is included at the end of this release.(Appendix A).
Journey time from The Point to Tallaght is 52 minutes. Journey time from Busaras to The Point is 6.5 minutes. Trams will run from The Point to Tallaght every 6.5 minutes at peak times (7.00am-10.00am and 4.00pm -7.00pm) and every 8 minutes at all other times. It is anticipated that 2 out of every 3 trams will be going directly from Tallaght to the Point.
RPA Chief Executive, Mr. Frank Allen, said that he was delighted that the first new extension to Luas is ready to go into service. Mr. Allen said that although many people in the IFSC had misgivings about building a light rail through the heart of a financial services and were concerned about possible interruptions to critical services that by and large these concerns and misgivings were well managed. “Building infrastructure in a complex urban environment, within approved budgets and within programme, can only be done if we achieve a genuine partnership with the people affected by the construction and who will benefit from its completion. This afternoon we are joined for our celebration by many of our partners who have worked so hard with us to plan and implement the project”, said Mr. Allen. He thanked all those who had engaged with RPA during construction. Mr. Allen continued, “I should also acknowledge my own colleagues, our partners in DDDA and DCC, and our contractors, who all ensured that we honoured the commitments made by RPA when we applied for permission to build this line”.
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Click here to read more about the launch of Luas Docklands Red Line Extension