Two month city centre closure

[Mickey H]

2100 May 21st until "end of July"

https://m.luas.ie/news/news-item.html?newsid=2585

[James Shields]

I understand the need for the closure, but the replacement bus service seems a lot less convenient than it could be. Would it not have been possible to run it along the Luas tracks (even if a diversion around O'Connell St/Marlborough St is necessary)?

Connolly/Busaras seem particularly poorly served in the westerly direction, with the nearest stops at Jury's Inn or Eden Quay.

Also, it's not entirely clear whether you need to be tagged on for the duration of the journey. If you are going from Temple Bar to Sir John Rogerson's Quay, do you need to walk up to Jervis, tag on, walk back to the bus, then get off at the Spencer Hotel, walk up to Mayor St to tag off, then walk back over the bridge?

There are a lot of city centre journeys that are easy on Luas that the bus service just seems too much effort for.

[Jamie2k9]

I don't see the bus service lasting the full 2 months, barley anybody will use it!

[James Shields]

I understand the need for the closure of Luas between Jervis and the Point. However, the replacement bus service seems poorly planned.

Connolly Station and Busaras seem to be particularly poorly served by the replacement service, especially westbound where the nearest stops are Jury's Inn and Eden Quay, and I suspect for most people it will be as easy to walk to Jervis.

Would it not be possible to run the buses along the Luas red line tracks? I realise that it would probably be necessary to divert onto the quays to get around O'Connell Street and Marlborough street, however, it should be possible for the bus to start at the Jervis Luas stop, run down Liffey St to the quays, stop at Eden Quay as a replacement for the Abbey stop, and rejoin the Luas tracks at Beresford Place.

In the westerly direction it would probably be necessary to Loop around Busaras, turn back onto Memorial Road, cross over Talbot Bridge and along George's Quay and Burgh Quay before turning onto O'Connell Street, using one of the O'Connell St stops as a replacement for the Abbey Station. It could then rejoin the Luas tracks to Jervis.

I wonder if they considered something like this?

[Mark Gleeson]

From Connolly to Point no issue with use of the Luas tracks, but the bus could not trigger the AVL loop for the junctions,

[berneyarms]

Plus the simple fact that the route is not signalled for road traffic at the junctions!

[Colm Moore]

.

Údarás Náisiúnta Iompair, National Transport Authority

Luas Red Line services between Jervis and the Point to resume ahead of schedule (on July 3)
24th June 2016

The Luas Cross City works are progressing well and as a result traffic movements and tram services east of Jervis are being restored ahead of schedule.

[Inniskeen]

Works already substantially completed at Abbey Street/O'Connell Street and Abbey Street/ Marlborough Street.

[dowlingm]

Here in Toronto the tramway used to be laid in a very basic fashion but it got hammered by use especially by the post-PCC trams. Now the concrete is laid in layers and rubber pads used for vibration reduction. Slower to do but lasts longer.

https://youtu.be/kPJuU8CaKAc

[Inniskeen]

Re-opens July 3rd.

[James Shields]

I think the RPA and contractors can be congratulations for getting the job done reasonably quickly and the line reopened early. I still think they could have managed the replacement bus service better, and I suspect most people found it easier to just walk during the closure, but things did run reasonably smoothly apart from that.

James