The first 3 lines of a new light rail system in Dublin, Ireland, have recently been completed and the system is now operational. The official opening in June 2004 by the Prime Minister of Ireland, Mr Bertie Ahern, marked the successful conclusion of three years work for Sinclair Knight Merz.
Utilising professionals from Australia, New Zealand, England and Ireland, Sinclair Knight Merz acted as principal engineering designer for the track, civil, structural, and building components of the €675 million Project, known as the Luas, (Irish language word meaning "speed"). It worked closely with a consortium of construction firms from Holland, Italy, Australia and ultimately Spain to deliver the Project for Ireland’s Railway Procurement Agency (RPA). It is the largest light rail project to be constructed at any one time anywhere in the world for many years.
The Luas is the first phase in a 10-year plan to address Dublin’s transport problems and is a significant step for improving public transport in the Dublin City Area. It was both a challenging and rewarding project for all concerned. It also represents a significant project for Australian Engineers and Sinclair Knight Merz staff who have played such a key role in delivering a major light rail project in the European Market.
The engineering design completed by Sinclair Knight Merz included 24km length of twin track over three lines, all civil infrastructure and the associated light rail stops, park and ride interchanges, substations, roads, bridges, depots and control buildings.
The Luas tram system utilises modern technology to provide a state of the art public transport system for Dublin. Considerable attention to urban design has resulted in a high quality design outcome that sympathetically integrates modern transport infrastructure into an historic city. The design provides a number of direct links with other transport modes across the transport network and the routes service many of the main residential, commercial, tourist and service centres throughout Dublin. As a result, it offers a unique set of benefits that will be an attractive alternative to the use of private cars, with greater travel reliability and large travel time savings.
The Dublin Light Rail Project is significant step towards improving public transport in the Dublin City Area, and was the first project of this nature to be delivered in Ireland under a Design and Build (Construct) Contract.
It has been both a challenging and rewarding project for all concerned, representing a significant project for Australian Engineers and Sinclair Knight Merz staff who have played such a key role in delivering a major light rail project in the European Market.