The Luas Cross City gauge run took place over two days from St. Stephen’s Green along the 5.9km route to Broombridge, Cabra. Two trams were brought at walking speeds along the northbound and southbound alignment, stopping at each new platform and manoeuvring along the route to allow a range of measurements and tests to be carried out. Engineers also had to verify that the new infrastructure (tracks and overhead wires) is working with the trams.
Pat Lucey, managing director of infrastructure at John Sisk & Son, said: “We are delighted to play a vital role in this joint venture with Steconfer in the delivery of this significant piece of national infrastructure. It was our aim from the start to deliver the Luas Cross City extension project safely and on time with minimal impact on the people of Dublin and those visiting the city. With the successful completion of the first gauge run today we are well on track to achieving that aim and look forward to completing works on this project over the next couple of months.”
Luis Bairrao, managing director, Steconfer stated that he was proud of their role in the prestigious multidisciplinary project. "It allows us the opportunity to demonstrate our expertise and high technical skills required for the construction of railway and overhead line electrification systems."
Key construction statistics:
- Total single track: 13.4km
- Total weight of the tracks: 1520 tonnes
- On-street concrete track bed and shoulders poured: 13600m3
- Total ducting and pipes under the surface: 178000m
- Daily average distance walked by a foreman: 12km
- Projected total man hours to complete SSJV works: 2.5 million hours
- Number of people who worked on the mains infrastructure project: 811
Running from St Stephen’s Green to Broombridge through the city centre, Phibsborough and Cabra, the new line will link the Luas Red and Green Lines.
Anne Graham, CEO
National Transport Authority (NTA), said that the completion of Luas Cross City will increase light rail usage and open up new areas of the city to the benefits of the system. “The completion of LCC in December will play an important role in alleviating congestion and enhancing the public transport experience for commuters,” she added.
In September, the new line will be handed over to
Transdev, the tram operators, which will then co-ordinate the driver training and conclude further tests and trial running of the new system.
In the interim, SSJV (Sisk Steconfer JV) will close out the remaining works around the tracks such as road resurfacing, paving, the fit-out of the tram depot and landscaping of the surrounding plaza. These works continue in parallel with the tram testing programme.