[Mark Gleeson]

The sparks are flying and all the experts so far are pointing the finger at the design.

Originally Posted by RTE Online

LUAS design & construction questioned
05 January 2006 15:37

One of Ireland's leading civil engineering experts has questioned the design and construction of the LUAS system in Dublin after an engineering study identified serious flaws in sections of the light rail system.

Eugene O'Brien, Professor of Civil Engineering at UCD, said a number of issues were raised in the report.

An engineering study commissioned by AMB Joint Ventures, the company which built the LUAS, found flaws in the system and said repair work on sections of the track is needed.

The study was carried out by the Institute for Railway Engineering at the University of Graz in Austria.

However, the State body with responsibility for the system, the Railway Procurement Agency, has said it does not accept the wrong design was used for the system.

The Director of LUAS at the RPA, Michael Sheedy, acknowledged that some materials had not performed as anticipated.

The RPA said repair work on both LUAS lines is due to commence in the next few months and the cost of the repairs will be borne by the contractor who built the lines.

The agency says the areas identified by the study are at the outer reaches of both LUAS lines rather than in the city centre as has been reported.

The Department of Transport said there would be minimum disruption to passengers.

© RTE 2006
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0105/luas.html