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Luas Cross City to receive new trams

Posted: 25 November 2015 | Kate Douetil | No comments yet

Luas Cross City has ordered seven new trams, which will be delivered and be operational by the end of 2017. Paschal Donohoe TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, was today present with Anne Graham, CEO of the National Transport Authority and Michael Nolan, CEO of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) as the order for the […]

Luas Cross City has ordered seven new trams, which will be delivered and be operational by the end of 2017.

Luas cross rail city

Paschal Donohoe TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, was today present with Anne Graham, CEO of the National Transport Authority and Michael Nolan, CEO of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) as the order for the new Luas trams was placed.

The Luas Cross City project is currently progressing, and the order of seven Citadis trams with Alstrom Transport SA is the next important step in this process. By ordering the additional trams now, their delivery can be ensured in advance of the Green Line extension, which is coming into operation at the end of 2017.

Anne Graham, CEO; National Transport Authority, said: “All around the city centre tracks are being laid and each month is bringing this project closer to completion. Having new trams in operation from day one is a fundamental part of the project and will ensure it is a success and beneficial to the public from the outset.”

New trams will allow additional passengers

The current Red and Green lines trams are both tram-types within the Citadis range. However, the new trams will be longer, increasing from 43 metres to 54.6 metres. The Luas Cross City tram-stop platform lengths are already designed to accommodate longer trams, and the original Green Line platforms between St. Stephen’s Green and Sandyford will be extended in advance of the new trams delivery. The additional tram length will allow for 60 additional passengers per tram; a total of 369 per tram.

Speaking at the St. Stephen’s Green tram platform today, Minister Donohoe said: “Placing the order for the new trams today, is another important step in this project. The new trams will carry more people and allow the Luas Cross City extension to provide a frequent, efficient and integrated transport option for the city centre and all the way to Cabra.”

The trams will be manufactured by Alstom Transport SA in La Rochelle, France and will be maintained at both Sandyford and Boombridge depots. The cost of the trams in €36.5m excl VAT.

Micheal Nolan, CEO, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, commented: “As the agency tasked with the delivery of such an important city centre transport project each landmark, such as today, is significant and shows the real and visible progress of the project.”

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