[PR] Cullen approves Investment for Tallaght Luas Line

Victor

http://www.transport.ie/viewitem.asp?id=7092&lang=ENG&loc=1850

Cullen approves Investment for Tallaght Luas Line
20 November 2005

"passenger capacity to increase by 40%"

In a new development in the implementation of "Transport 21" today (Sunday, 20th November 2005) the Minister for Transport, Mr. Martin Cullen TD, has approved a business case from the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) aimed at increasing passenger capacity on the Tallaght Luas line by 40%.

Since its introduction a year ago, Luas has proven an attractive means of transport and the Tallaght line has experienced strong monthly growth. Currently, between 30,000 and 40,000 passengers per day are travelling on this line that has 26 trams in operation.

Minister Cullen said; "this investment in public transport will offer increased capacity and greater and improved services to the growing number of passengers using the Tallaght Line that links the three main city centre transport hubs at Connolly, Busaras and Heuston stations. As increased capacity on Irish Rail services under Transport 21 into Heuston and Connolly stations will further increase demand on the Tallaght Line, this Government will provide the services needed to meet those demands and offer greater choice to passengers."

This Luas capacity expansion is part of a planned upgrade of services to provide for increased demand on the line up to 2011. The increase will be achieved by increasing the length of the trams by 10 metres, making them the same length as trams on the Sandyford to Stephen's Green line.

Minister Cullen said that the first of the extended trams will enter service in 2007 and the upgrade will be completed in 2008. The project will not involve interruption to services.

The RPA plan to provide additional trams on the Sandyford to Stephen's Green line as part of the extension of that line to Cherrywood. In the meantime, they are looking at shorter term measures to meet increasing demand. Last week, Minister Cullen received an application for a Railway Order (rail equivalent of planning permission) from the RPA to extend the line and has directed that a Public Inquiry, chaired by an independent inspector be established as required by legislation.

ENDS

dowlingm

Those would be the trams RPA told P11 it was impossible to operate as 40m?

spacetweek

dowlingm wrote:

Those would be the trams RPA told P11 it was impossible to operate as 40m?

I don't understand, how could that have ever been the case? How could it be impossible to use 40 m trams on the Red line when they are working fine on the Green one?

aliveandkicking

http://www.platform11.org/media/press_release.php?year=2004&no=pr_028.html

Metrobest

Do you actually have a quote from the RPA in which it is said that "The luas Red line cannot take 40m trams"?

Or is this just yet another piece of RPA bashing from the Irish Rail fan club?

MarkoP11

The statement we got stated no need for 40m trams on the Tallaght line and that we were wrong and had no right or authority to tell the RPA to put 40m trams on.

Seems once again we right they wrong as is the pattern

Second comment I suggest you remove it unless since you have no basis of fact. If you think I dislike the RPA you ain't seen half of the hassle I'm about to give Iarnrod Eireann, such remarks have no place

Metrobest

It's important to remember that when trams were introduced to Dublin, nobody knew how they would interact with other road traffic. The accidents that happened in the first few months of operation could have happened with even more regularity had the trams been 40m in length. There were several near misses. There could have been more.

I don't believe the RPA conspired to deny 40m trams to the Tallaght line. Everyone knew that that line was going to heavily utilised, given its routing. It was a stupid route and should never have been chosen. The decisions on the route were taken before the RPA was founded, so its hands were tied.

Solid houses are not built on shaky foundations.

There is no "pattern" of the RPA being wrong and you being right. Like your pronouncement on the length of the trams, even a stopped watch tells the right time every now and then.

Ps. I'll withdraw the statement you took exception to when there is evidence of this new critical attitude towards Irish Rail.

SeanW

No-one claimed the RPA said 40M trams on the Tallaght line were impossible, but they clearly dismissed concerns about capacity as rubbish.

Is this another excuse for P11 / Irish Rail bashing by the RPAs Dutch fan club?

Metrobest

Dismissed concerns about capacity as rubbish? What did the RPA say, exactly? If you're going to bandy about accusations, show us the evidence.

I'm not in the RPA's fan club: I think their lack of provision for bicycles at tram stops is shambolic.

aliveandkicking

Metrobest wrote:

Ps. I'll withdraw the statement you took exception to when there is evidence of this new critical attitude towards Irish Rail.

As ever Metrobest you post without researching if you are right or not.

http://www.platform11.org/passenger_issues/customer_service/

http://www.platform11.org/passenger_issues/punctuality.php

http://www.platform11.org/passenger_issues/not_getting_there.php

http://www.platform11.org/passenger_issues/dart_upgrade/

http://www.platform11.org/campaigns/sligo/

aliveandkicking

Metrobest wrote:

Dismissed concerns about capacity as rubbish? What did the RPA say, exactly? If you're going to bandy about accusations, show us the evidence.

I believe Ger Hannon the RPA's spokesperson said live on national radio that P11's suggestion to increase capacity on the red line by lengthening the trams to 40 metres was "nonsense."

MarkoP11

He said that and a recording of that should exist if the case needs proof. It was Newstalk 106. Another RPA staff member made a phone call and let rip. The point to note the red line is only open 14 odd months and is only reaching the expected passenger numbers and the RPA are now looking for extensions

All the trams where ordered as 30m units (at the time there was no 40m option available) subsequently only 14 10m sections where ordered making a perfect match for the number of tram required for on the Green line. These sections where delivered at the same time as the main order. It was clear that demand on the Tallaght line would be higher particularly the on Hesuton Connolly section, the promised shuttle service is still a dream

Its been sardines from Jervis to Heuston almost since day one, it was a no brainer, clearly it wasn't nonsense

PandaMania

aliveandkicking wrote:

I believe Ger Hannon the RPA's spokesperson said live on national radio that P11's suggestion to increase capacity on the red line by lengthening the trams to 40 metres was "nonsense."

What the actual quote was "complete nonsense" and it ran all day on radio news bulletins.

What I have never understood is why the RPA never did a 50/50 mix of 30M and 40M trams between both lines and ran the 40Ms on both lines at peak times?

I guess this really drives home the need for both lines to be linked so 40Ms can operate from Tallaght to Sandyford.

Either way, Platform11 (like the stance on Western Rail Corridor) have been totally vaildated and I say this as a P11 member who is a fan of Luas and is looking forward to the Interconnector AND the Metro.

Metrobest, I suggest you join West on Track as you have the same mindset as them and the hysterical reactionaries who support them.