Luas commuter chaos must come to an end – Richmond

Dublin’s Luas service is constantly leaving commuters frustrated, stranded and late for work, Fine Gael Senator Neale Richmond has said.

This morning (Wednesday), Luas users experienced lengthy delays trying to get on trams and were left standing on platforms as the TransDev service – complete with new longer cars – clearly cannot cope with the demand from the travelling public.

“It seems now that lengthy delays have simply become the norm for LUAS commuters as trams are increasingly overcrowded and frequency is becoming ever more sporadic,” Senator Richmond said.

“Understandably vexed commuters once again inundated my office all day yesterday and again this morning with complaints following yet more terrible service.

“We are encouraging people not to use cars yet many who would ordinarily use the Luas Green Line are forced to taxis to avoid being late for work or walk.

“In the mornings this week alone, delays saw some commuters waiting up to thirty minutes for a tram on the Green line section between the Bride’s Glen and Sandyford stops.

“This morning (Wednesday) a broken down tram at Stillorgan saw passengers stuck on a packed tram for over 20 minutes with no lights or information. At the same time, more customers trying to travel to the city centre complained of having to wait for up to an hour at platforms on both sides of Dublin.

“Yesterday (Tuesday) evening, commuters found themselves dumped out at stops such as Harcourt, Beechwood and Milltown; being told to walk the line as far as Balally as yet another tram had broken down.

“Around 100,000 commuters use the LUAS every day, paying high fares, to see the once flagship service crumbling with excessive delays, stoppages, overcrowding and insufficient staff numbers.

“As LUAS chaos continues, the commuters are rightly asking, when will this sorry mess be fixed,” Senator Richmond asked.