New LUAS pics

very interesting…. coming along nicely

top dollar indeed!!!

I can’t wait to see the change in the streetscape once the Connolly Station ramp has been removed. It should have a dramatic effect. Is the back wall coming down as well the one that breaks off the viw into the IFSC. This has such a bad effect of sectioning off the docklands area from the rest of the city.

Also the bridges look pretty good don’t they…at least the one thats finished and not forgetting the Taney Bridge. I think there is a marked difference in the standard of design for LUAS as compared to the last major public transport development in Dublin – DART – for example.

One thing that the Dart did was to implement a very good identity, with the whole thing tying very well together, everything from signage to furniture. Unfortunatly it has been completely ignored 10 years on and the whole thing looks half assed.

Hopefully the Luas will do a better job. But I doubt it…. This is Ireland after all.

Dunno about fjp but I do. A solicitor is very handy.

I would also frown upon it, but rarely catch it. I don’t actually bother putting any copyright directly onto my images, since anyone who’s going to do this knows they’re in the wrong. I’ll know my photos if I see them, and if it was a professional usage I’d take a leaf out of Paul’s book and send them a bill. Personal usages – people hotlink them all the time for forums and things, usually without credit, but that’s the internet so that’s ok.

Only one real red handed case of passing work off as their own ever showed up. A guy took a random image I had, applied a single vector filter to it (just one), and then stuck his copyright on it. I mailed him, posted a message on his messageboard, but it’s still there. One tiny vector filter – it looked exactly the same…

I know lots of solicitors, but I’ll hang on until an advertising agency tried to get away with it. Then it should sort out my hosting fees for a year at least. But I’m not a complete bitch: I’ve let three architects use images free for jobs in the last week or two.

And I appreciate seeing the Dundrum/Sandyford shots – I’ve been tied for time lately and never get to see what’s going on in Sandyford. Looks cool…

fjp

The Davitt Road Bridge looks excellent. I have yet to see any part of the project, where corners appear to have been cut. Though the depot buildings aren’t great.
It’s funny about the DART – it was considered futuristic in its time, with its uniform colouring and signage. Considering its usage and all the wealthy parts of Dublin it passes through, it really is in a state now.

It needs a good Brand Manager – I’ll do it!!

Great photos Gabriel Conway….great to see it all coming along.
Funnily, looking at the photo’s the Luas works, train tracks and all remind me of me Lima train sets I had when a kid in the 70’s…… (aka pre-playstation for the younger viewers).

Great pictures. better than the luas website!

2 questions:

1. Why is there a line C (ie why can’t the line from Tallaght run straight through to the docks)?

2. Has there ever been any thought given to running a spur off the Dublin/Belfast railway line into the airport?

Im not sure of the logic of a Line C..window dressing I expect to make it look as if the government are investing in three and not two lines.

As for the Airport spur..I am sure this was the plan when the DART was setup. I certainly recall it being mentioned many times until the extension to Malahide came about. I think it was eventually dropped when we could set our sites on bigger fish like a dedicated LUAS line (likely by 2012) or Metro (yeah right!).

A dedicated line makes more sense as the volume of extra traffic on the DART would cripple the (currently substandard) service.

I think they should privatise the DART and LUAS. It not like the UK where there is a huge network which need central control. These one off systems are so more easily managed, Perhaps have Iarnrod Eireann converted into a rail network management company owned by the government and sell of the services on those lines. The same for mainline (aka intercity) services.

Problem is the need for subsidy. Dublin Bus and (I think) Bus Eireann pay for themselves, but Irish Rail soaks up money like crazy. Privatisation could lead to the same dire situation as in the UK, where so little of the enormous ticket prices charged by operators filters down to Railtrack that safety suffers.

I knew about LUAS neing privately operated… I hope DART goes the same way. All this proliferation of agencies and companies controlling transport. No wonder its a mess…all the moeny gets swallowed up in these fiefdoms.

I work in a UK rail company so I know enough about the problems of their privatisation, But I still maintain that another model for privatisation would work for the limited Irish networks. It would still require subsidy and strong regulation but it would be a vast improvement on the current political party set up.

Maybe something along the lines of a Dublin Transport Authority to replace CIE and the RPAetc and licence out the various services to independant operators.

Great photos.

What is the O’Connell st underground substation currently being excavated? Anyone know the details of this. I presume the line crosses O’Connell st and the nearest stop will be on Abbey st, or is there actually an O’Connell st tram stop? Luas site doesn’t give a lot of info on the stations.

Also, was line C named separately as it will eventually form part of the future dock-lands line from Abbey st station to Spencer Dock?

I look forward to the Luas. I have just returned from Melbourne where Connex (same company) run part of the extensive tram network. They were one of the few cities to keep the trams when the rest of the world was embracing the motorcar. So nearly every second street has a line now! And they even use the same tram model as has been chosen for Dublin. Very smooth and comfortable to travel on, and that was on Melbourne’s rickety old rails. A joy to use. Of course the passangers were a little more refined, eh Greg F!

Looks like the station will be on Abbey Street:

http://www.luas.ie/plan/linec.asp

The map is a clicky one, and there are pretty good plans behind it.

Gabriel,
Great pics. You are almost right about Line C. It was tacked on as the original Luas concept was for a single line linking through college green. The Government at the time decided to split the line and then extend it to Connolly but as the inquiry process had commenced a new line had to be designated.
It gets even more complicated because the first proposal for Connolly was rejected and yet another inquiry was held. Work is now going on to remove the ramp based on this last scheme. The high wall is to be replaced with a railing which will be the subject of an design comp.

The images on the LUAS web site are pretty poor but there is a small image of the Connolly scheme which you can see.

JJ

I wonder what effect the removal of the ramp will have on Connolly Station itself. There will obviously be a new ground level entrance. I never noticed but did they make provision for this when they redesigned the station a couple of years ago.

I dunno but I think the existing facade on the ramp side is going to need a complete rethink after this, as it will look daft imo

To say the least. And where are all tons of the beautiful granite in the ramp going to go after it’s removal? Worth a lot of money. Knowing this country it will be left lying out to be nicked again, like the Quay Wall incident.

Looks like the Victorian facade of Connolly is also being cleaned in anticipation of the LUAS, about time. Its covered in scaffolding at the minute. Some dazzling white floodlighting would be spectacular on the building and the Italinate tower, acting as a beacon/marker for the city’s major railway & Luas terminal.

I am impessed by the works!

But I think we will have no trams within a matter of months. My experience on the 77 bus informs me that the seats will be flying out the windows as soon as they are installed (have witnessed people throwing “fixed” cushions out the windows!), open drug peddling, smoking, violence, vomit, drug taking, throwing crap at innocent customers….

But I’m still impressed!

But what happened the Westmoreland St. Dawson Street part? It is mental that the lines A, B and C won’t interconnect.
:rolleyes:

They had rightly hacked into the old granite stoned Suir Bridge along the canal the last time I looked…i guess to facilitate building the new one ..I hope they reinstate the old bridge back to its old self before arriving at ‘next stop Fatima Mansions’

Paul, I’m sure I saw covered escalators in the design which uses the existing side entrance to go down to the Luas Terminus at ground level, correct me if I’m wrong….

Well they did re-jig the interior of the station to face towards the ramp – which would suggest a repositioning of the entrance to the new LUAS stop.

think the schedule now is that the trams will be running by April of next year … which is still a good bit away, they do seem to be making good progress though, the section running from the Red Cow depot to the terminus at the Square is almost complete … they’re currently errecting the overhead cables

Anyone see the report on the news last night about the port tunnel?? was really surprised to see how far they’ve got and just how substantial the tunnel will be when complete …

Me too. Indeed its being bored so fast that they say its not worth stopping to give the residents a break up above, as it passes them by within a day!