New Luas trams withdrawn from service

The new 55 metre long Luas Citadis trams have been withdrawn from service owing to a “system fault”. So far only two of the seven trams have entered passenger service with their use confined to the morning peak to help increase capacity but these trams have also been temporarily withdrawn.

Ever since Luas opened the Cross City line – in effect an extension of the Green line across the city through to Broombridge – there have been issues with the reliability of the service. An increase in passenger numbers and tram availability problems have seen the service frequency at peak times reduced with many passengers reporting that those trams which are running are overcrowded. The capacity issues were hoped to be solved by the seven new 55 metres Alstom Citadis tram but with their temporary withdrawal from service a further frequency can be expected for the next few weeks or months.

The general problems experienced since the opening of the Cross City line were exacerbated on Thursday 15th March when a technical problem at Sandyford Depot saw delays across the Green line. In addition there were further delays on the Red line caused by a signalling fault.

Luas have constantly said since the opening of the extension that they are continuing to review the service and make any minor changes they can to improve the service. It is hoped that the new trams will make a significant difference but some are also excusing these trams of adding to the traffic congestion.

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