There’s “not much that can be done” about overcrowding on the Luas in the medium term, Rail Users Ireland has warned.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has said it is working on plans to address the ongoing overcrowding issue on the service, with hopes a new timetable can relieve some of the pressure.

On Newstalk Breakfast, however, Rail Users Ireland spokesperson Mark Gleeson said the way the system was designed in the first place makes it very difficult to increase capacity.

He said Luas passengers are “going to have to suffer” packed trams until the Government moves forward with projects like BusConnects and Metrolink.

“[The Luas] has been hugely successful,” he said.

“It's almost 20 years old, but it it's always been busy; from the very first day it's been busy – no matter what they've done to improve capacity, it's just never been enough.

“That's really an indication that what was built originally just wasn't sufficient for Dublin, no matter how good it actually is.”

Overcrowding

He said the system design means the NTA cannot simply increase the number of trams.

“There’s technical limitations in terms of how much power the overhead wire system can deliver, which limits how many trams you can have,” he said.

“You also have practical issues like, how often can you change the light sequence on O’Connell Street to get across?

“At the moment, the light sequence is a restriction because it's not given the highest priority. So the trams have to wait and that is not something you'd see in another city – say Prague or Amsterdam, which have extensive tram systems.”

Technology

Mr Gleeson said the NTA has increased the length of Luas twice in recent years – but there’s only so far you can go in terms of length.

“They wear 40 metre trams, then they were 42 metres; now they're 53 metres long, the second-longest trams in the world.

“We've kind of reached the end of the technology.

“Ultimately, the best thing the NTA can do now is get on and build things like DART Underground and Metrolink, because they would relieve pressure off the Luas.”

Mr Gleeson said the worst overcrowding is on the Red Line between Heuston Station and Abbey Street.

“It gets very, very, very busy,” he said.

“It's not just serving the communities of Tallaght coming into Dublin, it's also acting as a commuter-connecting service from Heuston Station into the city centre.

“So you've got an awful lot of people presenting themselves in Heuston in the morning trying to get on a tram, which is already busy.”

He said passengers are “going to have to suffer for at least the medium term” – with trams set to be crowded until the Government puts other options in place.

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