The much anticipated Cross City line on Dublin’s Luas network will open to the public at 1400 on Saturday 9th December. The 5.9km extension has been under construction since June 2013 and will, for the first time, provide an interchange between the Red and Green lines on the network.
Running north from the current St Stephen’s Green terminus on the Green line the extension will travel through to a new terminus at Broombridge via Dublin City Centre. 13 new stops have been built at Dawson, Westmoreland, O’Connell GPO, O’Connell Upper, Parnell, Marlborough, Trinity, Dominick, Broadstone – DIT, Grangegorman, Phibsborough, Cabra and Broombridge. The city centre section has a 1 way loop with outbound service to Broombridge travelling via O’Connell with the return journey going by the way Marlborough.
From 9th December the Green and Red lines will remain as separate services. The Green line will now run from Brides Green to either O’Connell Upper or through to Broombridge. Those only running to O’Connell Upper will use the single line Cross City loop to return south. Journey times between St Stephens Green and Broombridge will be 25 minutes. The Red line will continue to operate from Saggart/Tallaght to The Point/Connolly.
Despite there being no through services passengers will be able to interchange between the two lines at O’Connell GPO/Abbey Street/Marlborough – with only a maximum of a two minute walk for passengers transferring between the lines.
In preparation for the start of services there will be an increase in testing on the new line with locals warned to be aware of trams on this new line.
Very good news that the cross city line will be opening on 9th December. However although there are physical connections between the red and green lines at O’Connel Street and Marlborough Street these are only suitable for transfer of trams between the two lines. I feel that the connections should have been made to enable full services to run between the two lines and that in the future LUAS will wish that they had done so. The cost of connecting the line properly at the time of construction would have been minimal compared with the cost of doing so at some time in the future.
On a recent trip over the line to the depot we were told it would be too dangerous to turn at the junctions because of the length of the new trams.
I have always felt that if a little more thought had gone into the design of the cross city line at both O’Connell Street and Marlborough Street where it crosses the red line on Abbey Street Lower junctions of a suitable radius to take trams carrying passengers could have been constructed. Another lost opportunity!