First run for Luas trams on a stretch of track between the Red Cow roundabout and the Square in Tallaght.
The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) began the first testing of Luas trams on public roadways in Dublin. The trams were run on the line between the Red Cow roundabout and the Square in Tallaght. The journey which will take six minutes took more than two hours as engineers checked the trams and the tracks.
They said everything had gone according to plan.
Chief Executive of the RPA Frank Allen stressing the importance of testing is very pleased to see that outside a controlled environment everything worked as expected.
The Minister for Transport Séamus Brennan and the Mayor of South Dublin, Maire Ardagh were at the Square in Tallaght to greet the first trams.
The Minister for Transport is impressed by what he sees. He predicts that when people start using Luas,
Every part of Dublin will be knocking on my door looking for extensions.
Passengers on the test run share the minister's enthusiasm,
It certainly looks the part and I hope it gets going soon.
The RPA expect the Luas Tallaght Line to be in operation by August 2004. However the question of what to do with the Luas at the Red Cow roundabout has still not been resolved.
Previous suggestions for the roundabout have been to elevate the trams on a dedicated flyover above the area. The Minister says that another possible solution is to bring forward the upgrade to the entire road network around the intersection, one of the county’s worst traffic blackspots.
The Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) and the contractors behind the Luas will run tests at the Red Cow roundabout in early 2004.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 9 November 2003. The reporter is Orla O’Donnell.
