LUAS Network + Future Expansion

I am fascinated with architecture.

Have been lucky enough to see some of the most incredible places on the planet from Samarkand to Giza to Petra.

Busáras is just brutal without the brutalism.

Off-topic warning.

The building is in the International Modern style - nothing to do with brutalist architecture at all. Like lots of old buildings in Dublin from every historical era going back hundreds of years, neglect and poor maintenance disguise what is a handsome piece of architecture. The general public's dismissive attitude to older buildings in Dublin is not at all typical in other cities where great pride is taken in maintaining and preserving architectural heritage (of all eras) as a visit to nearly any mainland European city will show. Plenty of examples of buildings in this architectural style and of this era which have been properly maintained and they look great. In Dublin, it's best to look at early photos, if available, to judge a building's qualities. Busaras was a great looking building before decades of neglect have left it in its current shabby state.

And they are very proud of the project, being the company's first international project and considered the start of firm being international. Very weird being at an European grad event and Busaras being presented alongside Sydney Opera House as company landmark projects.

The city of Florence has ordered battery-powered trams from Hitachi Rail (formerly AnsaldoBreda) for use on a planned extension through the old centre. Currently the T2 tram service ends at a stop just beyond Santa Maria Novella station on the edge of the city's historic centre, but it is planned to bring this line right into the centre (a stop at the Duomo was originally planned, but the route has been moved a couple of streets back from there).

In the long term, this is a more expensive solution (batteries are more expensive, and they need replacing every 15 years or so), but in the case of a UNESCO heritage site like Florence, it's the only option.

https://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/hitachi-rail-global/pressreleases/hitachi-rail-delivers-innovative-battery-tram-solution-to-boost-florences-mobility-while-protecting-historic-city-centre-landscape-3335708

Thanks for that link.. I couldn't remember which city was using supercapacitors, or if I'd just imagined it...

Supercapacitors have the advantage that they have a service life that's at least as long as the vehicle they're installed in, and they can provide a lot of power over a very short period : ideal for getting a tram moving (once it gets rolling, the tram's own inertia means that relatively little power is needed to keep it going).

The big, big disadvantage of SCs is the cost. They've got equivalent energy density (kWh per kg) to lithium ion batteries, and much better power output, but they cost about 50x the price of Li-ion batteries. That sounds bad, but it could actually be acceptable in a tram system if you account for the cost with Li-ion of taking the vehicles out of revenue service for a full battery refurbishment halfway through their operating lifetime.

This doesn't fix the other major cost of laying a tramway: moving under-street services, but it would reduce visual impact and construction cost in some areas.

The choice of battery-only trams for that Saudi system was due to princely meddling, I suspect. There's really no reason to not use overhead lines in a short, new-build system like this. Another sign of too much money is in the render of the tram itself:

That image is from Alstom, by the way. Believe it or not, this is the same Citadis tram product as used for Luas. Everywhere in the world that uses these trams, you usually have a custom front and end cab, but the same body profile, but this one looks to be fully bespoke.

it's pie in the sky. There's a lot of issues with the public realm in Dublin that could be fixed quicker and cheaper than removing the tram wires.