Dublin's Luas tram network. Check out an elegant transport system that really works.

We're at Saint Stephen's Green to check out the Luas tram, Dublin’s latest piece of transport infrastructure.

It began operating this Green Line (as it’s called) back in 2004 (which runs North to South) and the Red line came into service shortly afterwards (running east to west)

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It’s a handsome vehicle. Incidentally, the word Luas means speed in the Irish language in case you were wondering where that came from.

The ticketing system is the ‘proof of payment’ method used in most European city’s tramway systems. In otherwords, you buy a ticket at this machine and retain it for inspection. If you are asked to produce a ticket by the inspector and can’t, you could be fined as much as €100. Tickets are time stamped.

Next we move to Abbey Street and the Red Tram line to head west out to Heuston Station

There are currently 67 stations across Dublin and its suburbs and 43 km of track

Both lines connect at Connelly station (not far from Abbey Street) allowing transport connections between Connelly and Heuston Stations, which you need if, for example, you traveling from Belfast to Cork by train.

From O’Connell Street we can see the Red line linking Connelly Station. And here we can see a green line train making its way northwards up O’Connell street

Extentions of the lines, completed in 2017 take passengers as far north now as Broombridge and extends to Brides Glen in the south of the city (just over 24 kms in total). While the East-West red line connects the Point in Dublin’s docks with Sagart in its western suburb, a distance of just over 20kms.

Much of the funding for the Luas tram system has come from European Regional Development Fund. What’s perhaps most amazing about the Luas project is that it’s been a fantastic financial success as well as an amazing public service. It operates without a state subsidy and in fact, rather than running into a deficit as predicted, it is highly profitable.

These attractive vehicles are made in La Rochelle, France, so if you’re experiencing some déjà vu, perhaps you’ve seen the same tram in other European cities.

And there you have it – the Luas tram!