Free travel to mark Luas launch

The opening of Dublin's Luas service later this month is to be marked by five days of free travel and family entertainment, the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) and Connex, the Luas operator, said yesterday.

Launching the Luas timetable and fare structure, the chairman of the RPA, Mr Padraic White, said the service on the Sandyford line would be free from its launch on June 30th until the last tram on Sunday, July 4th.

After the free period, Luas will be relying on the honesty of passengers to ensure that they have a correct pre-paid ticket, with no barriers and no on-board sales or ticket validation.

Mr White said the Luas "philosophy" of open access would herald a new style of travel in Dublin. Mr Frank Allen, the RPA chief executive, explained the idea was to minimise delays. Both men alluded to a team of 16 "customer service operators" - neither Connex nor the RPA uses the term "ticket inspector" - who would assist passengers.

Passengers will be able to get a ticket from a vending machine at the Luas stops. However, it will be cheaper to buy tickets at 13 selected retailers along the route, a move designed to minimise queuing delays. Tickets will also be available from Dublin Bus and arrangements with the Dart service will be announced soon, said Mr White.

Luas fares are to be divided into three zones on the Sandyford line, and four zones on the Tallaght line, which opens in August.

Standard fares within one zone are €1.30, with two zones at €1.60 and three zones reaching the maximum single fare of €2.

With 84 different fares programmed into the vending machines and only some ticket types available from the selected retailers, there is potential for confusion. But the RPA believes passengers will quickly get used to their fare category and the incentives for buying seven or 30-day tickets in advance.

Defending the decision to charge for the park and ride facilities at the terminus in Sandyford, Mr White said the RPA had been contacted by "many people" who worked in the industrial estate, who wanted to know when they could engage in all-day parking at the Luas car park. The RPA was not prepared to provide a car-park which would be filled by non-Luas users, he said.