Work will start on three LUAS lines in coming weeks after the awarding of a £200 million contract for the building of overland tracks.
A report published by the Department of Public Enterprise today also indicates it believes work on the project should be completed on schedule by 2003.
The contract for the Tallaght to Connolly Station and Sandyford to St Stephen’s Green lines has been awarded to Ansaldo spa of Italy and MVM pty of Australia. Their principal sub-contractor is the Dutch firm Ballast Nedam.
The Minister for Public Enterprise Ms O’Rourke announced the moves this morning and said the award is "the last major piece of the light rail jigsaw".
"With the light rail vehicles arriving by the end of the year it will not be long before Dubliners will once again see trams operating on their streets.Services to the public are still on target to commence in 2003," she said.
The work involved includes track-laying and mechanical andengineering installations on the two lines, as well as thebuilding of a depot at Sandyford and a bridge across Taney Road. The company will begin work in the coming weeks.
The Minister also announced the latest report of the Light Rail Advisory/Action Group, which indicated Dublin should see light rail trams on the streets in 2003.
The group chairman Mr Padraic White said while the project is still on schedule there was a danger of delays becauseof "a lack of inter-agency co-ordination" and "delays in funding allocation for related works and lack of speed of implementation."
The main points in the report state:
- Preparatory work on the Tallaght to Abbey Street line has beenprogressing steadily;
- The contract for building the depot at the Red Cow wasawarded in October 2000 and construction is well under way.
- The first tram is scheduled for delivery this October and six trams per quarter will be delivered from January next;
- Property acquisition and preparatory works on the Sandyfordline are progressing in accordance with the project timetable;
- The operating franchise for the lines will be awarded in theautumn following an open competition;
- A new Railway Procurement Agency will be established in theautumn and will assume the responsibilities of the light railproject office.