Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 January 2021
96. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Transport his plans in view of repeated large scale planning permissions being granted along the Green Luas line to expand the capacity of the service given that prior to pandemic restrictions it was already heavily congested; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3661/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy is likely aware of the Luas Green Line Capacity Enhancement Project which essentially comprises three strands all designed to increase capacity on the Green Line -
- An extension to the Sandyford Luas Depot;
- The lengthening of all 26 existing trams on the Luas Green Line; and
- The purchase of 8 additional 55m long trams to serve on the Green Line.
Works on the extension to the Sandyford Depot are completed, while I am informed that 22 of the 26 tram extensions and 6 of the 8 new trams have arrived. At this stage it is envisaged that all tram extensions and new trams will have arrived and entered service by Q2 in line with the overall project schedule. The new fleet will provide an increase of approximately 30% in passenger capacity for the Luas Green Line as compared to before.
Looking to the longer term, capacity on the Green Line requires to be regularly considered, and I expect to see such consideration undertaken as part of the NTA's review of the Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area ; the Deputy will be aware that this is a statutory review that the NTA has currently underway in line with the requirements of the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008.
