One injured as bus and Luas collide in Dublin city

Luas services on Dublin’s Red Line were suspended for about half an hour this afternoon following a collision between a tram and a bus near Busáras.

An ambulance treated one man for injuries at the scene.

Eye-witnesses said a Bus Éireann vehicle was reversing near the central bus station when it came into contact with the tram.

The tram continued to Middle Abbey Street where passengers were disembarked. Two glass panels in the tram’s doors were broken and damage was visible to the panel work.

A large contingent of security men and gardaí were on hand as the tram was taken out of service and operations on the Red Line halted.

The north-inner city area where the Luas shares road space with other vehicles has been the scene of a number of crashes in recent years.

In April of this year a woman was killed on her way to work when she was hit by a car which had been struck by a Luas tram.

The incident happened at the junction of Upper Abbey Street and Jervis Street.

In March last year a Garda car and a Luas collided in Middle Abbey Street near the Abbey Theatre.

In 2009 a number of people were injured when a Luas tram was in collision with a double-decker Dublin Bus.

Last month the Railway Procurement Agency, gardai and Luas operators Transdev said they were concerned this year could set a new record for collisionsbetween trams and other road users.

The authorities released videos showing motorists breaking red lights and the then minister for transport Leo Varadkar described the actions of some motorists as “dangerous”, “ irresponsible” and “stupid”.

There were 38 collisions between motorists and trams recorded last year - up from 24 on 2012.