Luas

For other uses, see LUAS (disambiguation).
This article is about the modern light rail system in Dublin. For the city's historic tram system, see Dublin tramways.

Luas
Red line Luas tram in Dublin city centre
Red line Luas tram in Dublin city centre
Overview
LocaleDublin, Ireland
Transit typeTram (or Light rail)
Number of lines2 (Red and Green)
Number of stations67
Daily ridershipc. 120,000 passengers[1]
Annual ridership48.2 million passengers[2] (2023)
Websiteluas.ie
www.luasfinglas.ie (extension)
Operation
Began operation30 June 2004; 20 years ago (2004-06-30)
Operator(s)Transdev
Number of vehicles40 Citadis 401 (4000 Class)
41 Citadis 502 (5000 Class)
Technical
System length42.1 kilometres (26.2 mi)[3]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius of curvature25 metres [4]
Electrification750 V DC overhead line
Luas route map

Luas (pronounced /ˈluːəs/ [ˈl̪ˠuəsˠ]; Irish for "speed") is a tram system in Dublin, Ireland. There are two main lines: the Green Line, which began operating on 30 June 2004, and the Red Line which opened on 26 September 2004. Since then, the red line has been extended and split into different branches further out of the city and the green line has been extended north and south as a single line. Since the northern extension of the green line in 2017, the two lines intersect in the city centre. The system now has 67 stops and 42.5 kilometres (26.4 mi) of revenue track,[3] which in 2023 carried 48.2 million passengers, an increase of 24% compared to 2022.[2]

Luas is operated by Transdev, under tender from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). (Prior to the later RPA merger with the National Roads Authority to form TII, the tender was originally under the defunct Railway Procurement Agency jurisdiction). The Luas was a major part of the National Transport Authority's strategy (2000–2016).[5] Four extensions to the initial Luas lines have been completed. Construction of a 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) extension of the Green line through the north city centre to Broombridge, which linked both Green and Red lines, began in June 2013 and opened to passengers in December 2017. This is the extension route previously known officially as BXD.[6]

  1. ^ "FAQ's". Luas.ie. Archived from the original on 2 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Record highs for public transport passenger numbers in 2023". 17 January 2024. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". Luas. Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Information about the Luas track and power supply". TII.ie. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024.
  5. ^ "A Platform for Change (Final Report) An integrated transportation strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2000 to 2016" (PDF). Dublin Transportation Office. November 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2006.
  6. ^ "Luas Cross City Project End of Year Review 2016". Luas Cross City. 16 December 2016. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.