The Red Line Luas reopened today, November 28th, between Connolly and The Point. The service has been closed since August 19th after a fire that caused significant damage to George’s Dock bridge.
According to the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), the bridge had to be demolished and rebuilt for €7 million. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
The North Wall area, which is served by the Red Line, was the most affected by the shutdown. Some 22,000 people use the Red Line from the impacted stops, including those who live at the student accommodation The Point campus.
In August, The University Times asked construction workers at the site how long they guessed it would take for services to return. They said “about two to four weeks”, but when prodded, one worker laughed and said, “Well, it’s Dublin, so maybe six weeks. Maybe more.” The Luas has been shut down for over 14 weeks.
The reopening was also met with significant delays, with service set to return on November 17th and November 24th, before officially opening today. Neighbourhood residents at the impacted Spencer Dock stop spoke to The University Times, with one saying she saw the announcement of the Luas reopening last night, but said she “didn’t trust [the announcement]” because she had been “burned before”, in reference to previous misleading reopening announcements. Another resident said he was “happy it’s back”, because he “[didn’t] have to walk two kilometres to work anymore”.
In a statement to RTÉ, the Transdev Dublin Light Rail’s Chief Executive Ben Dwars said: “We are delighted to see the completion of the George’s Dock Bridge works and to reopen Luas Red Line services between Connolly and The Point”. Adding “Having this section restored in time for the Christmas season is hugely welcome.” They also thanked workers and passengers for their “patience and understanding”.
