LUAS 168

Irish Railway Record Society

Journal 168 - LUAS

PASSENGERS

The number of passenger journeys on Luas during 2008 was approximately 27.4m, compared to 28.4m in 2007. While numbers on the Green Line held reasonably firm at more than 12m, there was a fall in journeys on the Red Line to fewer than 15m. Services on the Red line were disrupted by the closure of the Abbey St-Connolly section from 16 June to 6 September and the general economic downturn would also have led to the fall in numbers.

The usage of monthly and annual tickets, which qualify for tax benefits, rose by 50% compared to 2007, while Smartcard sales rose by 28% and purchases of Rail/Luas tickets were up by 15%.

FARES

Selected Adult fares were increased by an average of 5.5% from 5 January. Single ticket prices, except for travel in one zone, rose by 10c, while return tickets increased by 10c or 20c depending on journey length. The cost of 7-day and 30-day tickets rose by up to €6, depending on the number of zones travelled and the type of ticket. There were pro-rata increases in the cost of student tickets, but child fares were held constant for the 4^th year running.

SERVICES

Christmas/New Year Late night services in the run up to the Christmas/New Year period commenced on Friday 28 November on both the Red and Green lines. Night trams operated on each Friday and Saturday for the four weekends before Christmas and also on Thursday 18, Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 December. Late night trams were also provided on New Year’s Eve. Services on the Red Line operated until 03:00, while on the Green Line they also ran until 03:00 for the first two weekends, but thereafter they continued until 03:30.

Services on Christmas Eve stopped at 20:00 and there was no service on Christmas Day. On St Stephen’s Day, services commenced at 09:00 and a Sunday frequency was operated until 23:30. On New Year’s Day, a Sunday frequency was provided from 07:00 on the Red Line and 06:45 on the Green Line, services on both lines ending at 23:30.

MISCELLANEOUS

Profit Veolia Transport (Ireland), the division of the French utilities giant which operates the Luas system has reported a doubling of profits in 2007. The company posted a pre-tax profit of €2.17m last year compared to €973,000 in 2006. Veolia retained €1.9m after tax and has said it plans to invest heavily in the light rail network this year and next.

INCIDENTS

10 December Due to a fire in the Jervis Street area evening peak services were disrupted on the Red Line. Trams operated between Tallaght and Smithfield, turning back using the crossover located between Bow St and Church St. Services were suspended between Smithfield and Connolly.

19 December Services on the Red Line were disrupted when a taxi collided with a tram near Smithfield at approximately 20:15. Five people, four who had been travelling in the taxi and one passenger on the tram, were taken to St James's Hospital with minor injuries.

The remainder of this article appears in IRRS Journal number 168, published February 2009.