The first Luas carriage which will be the new tram system for Dublin is put on public display.
After 15 years of planning and consultation a Luas tram carriage is finally available to view at Saint Stephens Green Dublin. In general people are impressed with the new trams and are hopeful that the new service will alleviate traffic congestion in the city centre.
However, opposition TDs including Eamon Ryan of the Green Party and Pat Rabbitte of the Labour Party protest at the £25,000 cost of the temporary display.
The carriages, which are lilac in colour are designed to reflect the light in Dublin on summer's evening. Each tram has a capacity to carry over 200 hundred people. The entire Luas project, which includes a green and a red line, is expected to come in at £500 million.
Mary O'Rourke Fianna Fáil Minister for Public Enterprise tells RTÉ News that the project is on schedule.
We are on time. It was to be October that was the first date I gave. October 2003 they will be rolling.
The Luas service is expected to begin in 2003. In the meantime, Dubliners will have endure continued traffic disruption throughout the city.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 4 November 2001. The reporter is Robert Shortt.
