Luas enjoys a record year

LAST year was the most successful to date for the Luas.

The RPA said passenger numbers were up by approximately 300,000 on 2011 figures.

It is estimated that 29.4 million passenger journeys were made on Luas in 2012, compared to just over 29 million in 2011.

These record numbers have been achieved despite losing a week’s service due to a major fire adjacent to the Red Line early in the year.

The busiest times of 2012 were at the end of August, during the Tall Ships festival and during December when there was an increase in shoppers and revellers during the Christmas season.

Last year was also a very significant year for the future development of the Luas system.

In August, An Bórd Pleanála granted a Railway Order for the 5.6km extension to the Luas Green Line between Saint Stephen’s Green and Broombridge.

The new line, which will finally see the Red and Green lines linked to form a light rail network, is conservatively expected to generate an extra 10 million passenger journeys in a full year. The new Luas line is expected to go into operation in 2017.