Luas operators Connex says it will not work miracles in Dublin's gridlocked streets but it promises an efficient service, writes Arthur Beesley
Connex comes to the Irish market with a good reputation in most of the 22 markets in which it operates. The only blemish is Britain, where the French group has a dreadful record running a rail franchise in south-east London.
For that, however, the group's chief executive, Mr Antoine Frerot, is unapologetic. "Firstly, don't forget that we are the only foreign operator in England," he says. "Secondly, we are operating an old infrastructure without investment for 40 years. Thirdly, at this time we are in the second place in the league table of punctuality."
On a brief visit to the Red Cow Luas depot in west Dublin, he accepted that the 86 per cent punctuality rate on the British service was less than acceptable. But, he says, a new system with "normal" infrastructure could have a punctuality rate of up to more than 90 per cent. The group is currently achieving 93 per cent reliability on a new system in Stockholm.
Defending the group's record, Mr Frerot says: "I think in world terms we have the best results in commuter train systems. We have the best world record in commuter trains in terms of punctuality and reliability.
"Seven years ago we were operating in one country, France, with a turnover about €500 million. Seven years later, we are operating in 22 countries, with a turnover of €3.4 billion for 2002. If we did not have a good reputation, we would never be awarded so many contracts."
These are very strong claims and are ones against which the performance of Luas will be measured when it comes into service in mid-2004.
So what can Dubliners expect? With only two lines, the system is not going solve chaos on the roads, but there are high hopes that due to its use of dedicated lanes it can circumvent the city's chronic traffic jams.
Mr Frerot says trams will run every 5 minutes at peak times and every 7½-10 minutes off-peak. Though the hours of service are not finalised, the system is expected to operate between 6 a.m. and midnight. "We will adapt the frequency and adapt the service to make sure the system is the very best," he says.
But will there be a guaranteed level of service? "We never could guarantee because we are a private company taking risk," says Mr Frerot. "We'll do our best to meet our commitments and to do better because if we do better we will earn money and if we do less we will lose money."
Despite the hype about Luas, Connex appears to be adopting a pragmatic stance.
Mr Frerot's deputy, Mr Antoine Hurel, interjects: "We cannot produce miracles. We can't promise that with a light rail system we will solve all the problems. But one step at a time. Extra capacity is always good news and we will put forward better capacity and better quality service.
"But it will not solve in one day all the very deep problems of infrastructure being saturated because of this very exceptional growth that Dublin has experienced," he said. The group believes that about 20 cities the size of Dublin have introduced light rail systems similar to Luas.
In France, they include Bordeau, Orleans and Montpellier. Further afield, Barcelona and Melbourne are on the list.
Beyond saying that tickets should not be free of charge but competitively priced, Mr Frerot is coy on fares. Though France has been a significant beneficiary of large state funding for public transport, Mr Frerot would not be drawn on the appropriate level of State investment in Ireland.
But with the latest estimate for the State-funding of Luas construction running at €675 million, it is fair to say that expectations will be high when the service is finally introduced.
Connex identifies its priorities thus: time; safety; easy access; information; the ability to listen to passengers; comfort; value for money; and contribution to the local economy. Many will be watching closely to see how the group performs in the first major public private partnership on the Irish transport scene.
