One of the main advantages of going ahead with the current onstreet Luas project is that it could be in operation by 2002, while the earliest opening year for the underground option is 2005, according to the Atkins study.
It also says the on-street option is more convenient for mobility-impaired people, though measures could be taken to improve access to an underground such as the provision of lifts in stations. However, as the wider public transport system becomes more accessible, these differences "may be largely irrelevant."
In terms of passenger safety, Atkins says, there is little difference between the two options. "Underground stations can be made safer through good design, excellent lighting, the visible presence of station staff at all times and a high level of passengers travelling on the system."
On transport safety, it says the surface option is likely to have a poorer safety record because onstreet trams would interact with other road traffic. "However, this is offset by the fact that the onstreet system will take somewhat more car-users off the streets, leading in turn to lower road accident levels."
While the underground option would provide faster, higher-capacity routes to the city centre, the surface option would have more stops and high visibility in the city centre and would therefore contribute to the urban regeneration of the corridors served, for example, in the area from O'Connell Street to Smithfield. It would serve a larger area in need of renewal, contributing more to Dublin Corporation's regeneration objectives. By contrast, the underground option (with higher passenger throughput at more widely spaced stations) would provide greater opportunities for development at specific sites, such as around Tara Street station.
