The re-emergence of trams in Dublin city after an absence of more than 50 years is part of a worldwide recognition that the 20th century's love affair with the internal combustion engine cannot solve all our transport needs.
Some say that Melbourne with the largest tram and light rail network in the English-speaking world is the one to beat. The most eye-catching example is in another Australian city, Sydney, which is enhanced by a handsome modern monorail and tram system.
However, the cities which have had most influence on Dublin's return to the ranks of tram cities are nearer at hand. Luas has elements from the French cities of Grenoble and Montpellier in the design of the Dublin lines, particularly the line from Tallaght to Connolly station.
If enthusiasm about trams were an Olympic event, Tom O'Reilly, transport planning engineer with the Railway Procurement Agency would win gold for us at Athens . He has a particular affection for the trams in Prague in the Czech Republic, where the network covers more than 136 km.
"Trams and the metro are the only public transport in Prague city centre, and they are an integral part of the fabric of the city. The Germans too, in cities like Cologne, are willing to give full priority to public transport and they can run longer vehicles much more frequently than we can."
The point is that when you can run trams up to 80m long, as some European cities do, you double the carrying capacity. But longer trams mean greater disruption. Of Luas's 40 trams, 14 on the Sandyford line will be 40m long, and there will be 26 Luas vehicles measuring 30m on the Tallaght Line.
France led the way in the tram revival with new systems in Nantes, Grenoble, Paris, Strasbourg and Rouen. Others followed in Bordeaux, Orleans, Toulon and Montpellier. For Montpellier, trams were an answer to a major jump in population from the 25th to 8th largest city in France in just 25 years.
Imagine travelling by Arrow commuter train to Heuston, where your carriage moves on to the Luas track and continues along the street to the city centre.
Even better, carriages contain a little restaurant, where you can buy coffee, tea, cold drinks, warm bread and other snacks. Not Heuston, alas, but the city of Karlsruhe in south-west Germany.
Two-system trams can be used on railway and tramway tracks. They can be coupled in groups of up to four units. They can also be coupled with standard urban and interurban trams, thus offering more flexibility to the system.
But it is not just about getting people from place to place. Trams are being used to make cities fun places to be. American cities discovered how a heritage tramway can boost the central area, and the trend has spread to Europe.
Heritage tramways, run with restored or replica cars, share tracks with light rail service, and are often entirely separate from preservation activities by museum groups, although the two can interrelate quite successfully, says Michael Taplin, vice president of the Light Rail Transport Association (www.lrta.org).
Richard Dujardin, managing director of the Luas operator Connex Ireland, says his company's experience counts. "Our wide international experience enables us to keep up to date with best international practice in all aspects of transport management, and to transfer technology and best practices to our operation in Dublin."
Check it for yourself - watch the Luas appearing in tourist leaflets and other promotions for our capital city. The smartest way of promoting a city on the move is by showing it on the move. Sandyford industrial estate anyone?