The number of passengers travelling on the Luas will be 8% lower this year compared to 2008.
According to the Rail Procurement Agency, the decline is significant but must be seen in the context of increases of passenger numbers in previous years.
The RPA’s Frank Allen told an Oireachtas Transport Committee today that the agency will break even for the full year.
Mr Allen also said the Garda investigation into the bus and Luas crash on O'Connell Street earlier this year will be completed by the end of the month.
He also said that 'a lot of people' now have criminal convictions after being brought to court for not paying the Luas fare of €1.45. He said he was puzzled why people do not just pay the fare.
Also at the Transort Committee, Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd urged the National Roads Authority to release, in full, reports into the safety of the Dublin Port Tunnel. Deputy O'Dowd strongly questioned if the tunnel was safe.
The chief executive of the NRA, Fred Barry, said it was.
It was also revealed that over 5,000 civil summonses have been issued so far for non-payment of the M50 toll.
