The company that operates the Luas narrowed its losses last year despite a long running pay dispute with drivers.
Transdev Dublin Light Rail recorded total losses of €350,538 for the year ended December 31st, 2016, which can be compared with losses of €521,724 the year before.
Luas drivers held a number of work stoppages last year following the pay dispute. The four-month industrial relations row ended after workers and Transdev accepted a Labour Court recommendation that included wage increases of up to 18.3 per cent for drivers.
The company’s revenue for 2016 was €31.2 million compared to €30.9 million the year before, representing an increase of 1 per cent. Transdev said the increase was a result of “a timetable change and one-off additional works”.
Losses before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (ebitda) amounted to €24,369 compared with a loss of €344,031 the year before.
Employee numbers increased at the company due to a timetable change and hiring for the Luas Cross City extension – dubbed the “missing link” between the Luas Red and Green lines – which will start running on Saturday.
Wages and salaries
Transdev had 292 employees last year, which was an increase on the 288 employed the year before. Despite the increase, the cost of wages and salaries fell from €13.1 million to €12.8 million.
Gross profit increased marginally from €22.6 million in 2015 to €22.9 million last year. Operating losses were reduced from €406,489 in 2015 to just under €75,000 last year.
Transdev said earlier this year it received a “record breaking” number of applicants to become tram drivers. A spokesman said more than 2,000 people had applied for positions as drivers with Dublin’s light rail system.
The starting salary for the first six months is €29,661, and rises to €31,309 for the next six months – known as the induction year. The next year, known as year 1, the salary rises to €34,788.
For a new driver their earnings may rise to €48,753 by September 2020. Total earnings at the top of the scale for drivers will go to €49,972 from 2020. There is also a bonus of up to 6.5 per cent.
The company has offered drivers a number of benefits including maternity/paternity leave, wedding leave, shift work, free parking and free Luas travel.
Extra
passengers
Tram services on the Luas Green line in south Dublin are to be expanded further next year at a cost of €100 million. The line, which links St Stephen's Green to areas such as Dundrum, Stillorgan and Leopardstown, will soon be able to carry an extra 1,760 passengers per hour in each direction.
The existing 26 Green line trams will be lengthened and eight more trams will be added to the fleet.
The project will begin next year, following on from the Luas Cross City expansion. When it is finished the capacity on the Green line will be 8,160 passengers per direction, per hour, based on 24 trams an hour.
