The final 20 metres of track on the Sandyford Luas line is to be laid early next week and it will be open for passenger services next June, according to the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA).
For much of its route between St Stephen's Green and Sandyford Industrial Estate, the line follows the alignment of the old Harcourt Street railway line, which was closed down 45 years ago, on December 31st, 1958.
The 40-metre trams, each with a capacity equivalent to four double-deck buses, will run every five minutes during peak periods, offering an end-to-end journey time of 22 minutes - substantially faster than commuting by car.
Work has been slower on the Tallaght Luas line. According to the RPA, a total of 100 metres of track remains to be laid, mainly on the city centre tretch, and this will be completed "early in the New Year" following Operation Freeflow.
The Tallaght line, which will have shorter 30-metre trams and significantly longer end-to-end journey times, will terminate at Connolly Station, though there are plans to extend it to serve the Docklands area via Mayor Street.
Passenger services on the line are "set to commence in August 2004", it said. "For the first time the three main city centre transport hubs - Heuston, Busaras and Connolly - will be linked by a high quality public transport system." The agency said it was "delighted to confirm that it has met its target of having the bulk of heavy engineering works completed before Christmas and has simultaneously managed to respect the requirements of Operation Freeflow."
Track-laying continues in Harcourt Street, St Stephen's Green and Lower Abbey Street, where the Luas sites are still surrounded by high metal barriers. Overhead power cables also remain to be installed in these locations.
Further work will have to be carried out to re-surface streets affected by the €765 million project. Trams will then be subjected to three months of test-running on each line before passenger services finally begin.
