More trams will run on the Luas Red Line service from Tallaght to Connolly Station from December.
The service now runs six trams an hour but this will increase to eight. This is expected to result in a rise of 10,000 customers on the route. About 40,000 passengers now use this route, which services areas such as Heuston station, the Four Courts, St James's Hospital and Tallaght Hospital.
Announcing the increase, the Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, said he hoped to double the existing capacity of the Red Line in the new year. This would mean that trams would arrive every five minutes. Mr Cullen said he was in discussion with the Railway Procurement Agency to achieve this. "This will get more people out of their cars and onto public transport," he said.
He estimated that the two Luas lines would carry six million people this year. The Red Line began running on October 4th, while the Green Line, from Sandyford to St Stephen's Green, has been running since June 30th. The Green Line carries 40,000 passengers a day.
Meanwhile, Operation Freeflow - the annual plan to manage Dublin traffic in the pre-Christmas period - will run from Monday, November 29th, to Friday, January 7th. Traffic in the greater Dublin area increases by about 10 per cent in the run up to Christmas and over the new year.
The Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Mr Ivor Callely, said additional gardaí would be on traffic duty; Nitelink services would increase; motorists would be encouraged to use park-and-ride facilities and people would be encouraged to use public transport.
Last year's Operation Freeflow got off to a bad start with a DART stoppage, disagreements over Luas works, and confusion over parking in clearways. Mr Callely said he was confident this year's project was "significantly improved and extended" to manage the busy period.
