Senior citizens are unlikely to be able to travel free of charge on the Luas at peak hours, in contrast to arrangements for the DART and intercity trains.
Discussions between the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs and the Railway Procurement Agency are continuing over travel provisions for older people, and a final decision is expected shortly.
However, sources say it is likely that Luas will follow the same ticketing arrangements as Dublin Bus, which restricts free travel for senior citizens at peak travel hours.
Dublin Bus does not allow free travel in the morning between 7.20 a.m. and 9.45 a.m., and in the evenings between 4.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. All normal services for the DART and Iarnród Éireann trains, however, are free of charge for older people at all times.
The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over, and to most carers, certain people with disabilities, and widows and widowers aged from 60 to 65 whose late spouses had been in receipt of free travel.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs said there were proposals to put in place an all-Ireland free travel system for senior citizens.
While there is already free travel for cross-Border journeys, the proposals would cover travel within each jurisdiction by pensioners from the other jurisdiction.
