Luas from Tallaght is facing a long further delay

Luas, Dublin's new light rail system, has been delayed further, with the Tallaght to Connolly Station line now set to come on stream almost a year later than originally planned.

Mr Padraic White, chairman of the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA), which has responsibility for Luas, said yesterday the Tallaght to Connolly line will not be operational until the second half of 2003, almost a year later than the initial launch date.

The former minister for public enterprise, Mrs Mary O'Rourke, had insisted while in office that the Tallaght line would be open to the public in 2003.

The RPA had originally planned to launch the Sandyford to St Stephen's Green line before the end of this year, with the Tallaght to Connolly Station line to follow shortly afterwards.

Last month, the RPA said that because of delays the first line would not become operational until the first quarter of next year. At that time the head of the RPA, Mr Frank Allen, warned that if there were construction delays that date would be pushed back even further.

Speaking yesterday at the launch of the operating contract between the RPA and Luas operators, Connex Transport Ireland, Mr White confirmed such delays.

The Tallaght line has been worst hit and will now not come on stream first as planned.

Instead, the Sandyford line will be operational in the second quarter of next year and the Tallaght line will follow two months later.

A spokesman for the RPA last night told The Irish Times the Tallaght line had been hampered because, unlike the track to Sandyford, a significant portion of it runs on-street. That means it takes much longer to lay than had been envisaged.

The most problematic areas are in the Abbey St and O'Connell St areas in the city centre.

Mr White said while the first line will be ready in the first quarter of next year, there will be a run-in time of several months which means the first passengers will not be carried until the second quarter.

A spokesman for the RPA insisted there would be no further delays.

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, said he was disappointed at the slippage in the construction of the line. He dismissed media reports suggesting Luas would be delayed as a result of restrictions on the level of Government investment.

"If there are delays to the Luas it will not be because of any restrictions on funding," he said.

The Government had already committed €675 million for investment in the project. The provision next year of €126.9 million would take Luas to the "next phase", the Minister said.

A further €5.6 million would be allocated for mobilisation costs associated with the commencement of the Luas service.

Connex yesterday said its top priority when Luas becomes operational w would be to make sure the system ran on time. It said a similar metro system which it runs in Stockholm was achieving 93 per cent punctuality rates.