Red Luas line to fully reopen following George's Dock bridge fire

The Red Luas line at George's Dock in Dublin is officially reopening on Friday.

It has been closed for three months following a major fire under the bridge at George's Dock on Tuesday, August 19th.

Nobody was injured, but the bridge was substantially damaged.

As a result, since then, the red Luas line between Connolly Station and the Point has been closed.

A replacement bus service has been operating instead

But now, three months later, this section of the Luas will finally reopen first thing Friday morning.

The bridge has been reconstructed, and overhead cables reinstalled.

On Thursday, the Transport Minister, local businesses and Luas workers are marking the reopening ahead of the full resumption of services on Friday.

The reopening comes in time for the introduction of late-night services for the Christmas party period.

Announcing the reopening of the George’s Dock bridge, Luas operator Transdev said the late-night trams would run on Friday and Saturday, December 12th and 13th, and on Friday, December 19th and Saturday, December 20th.

“Night Luas”, as the extended services are to be branded, will also operate on New Year’s Eve.

Night Luas services will be operated on both the Red and Green lines, with trams generally running up to around 3am. The full timetable is available at Luas.ie

Services will finish at 8pm on Christmas Eve.

The Irish Times reported that infrastructure provider Transport Infrastructure Ireland said an intensive programme of construction and reinstatement works was delivered in collaboration with Transdev, Jons Civil Engineering, ROD, GPX Rail and Custom House Docks Management Limited.

TII chief executive Lorcan O’Connor said that passenger services were being restored “within an exceptionally short time frame”.

In addition to bridge reconstruction, utility connections and Luas tracks, the overhead contact system was fully reinstated. The Commission for Railway Regulation (CRR) approved the return of passenger services this week.

Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien congratulated all concerned, The Irish Times said.

“I’m delighted to see the services reopening just in time for the busy Christmas season and thank passengers for their patience and understanding throughout this period,” he said.