KeolisAmey has officially taken over the operation and maintenance of Dublin’s Luas light rail network, beginning a new operating contract that will combine international public transport expertise with infrastructure and asset management capabilities.
KeolisAmey Luas is now responsible for the network on behalf of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the National Transport Authority (NTA), following a transition period involving employees, stakeholders and the outgoing operator.
The joint venture brings together Keolis, which operates public transport networks internationally, and infrastructure specialist Amey. Its immediate priority will be maintaining service continuity, but the partners are also planning changes intended to improve reliability, network resilience and the passenger experience.
These will include enhanced services, new operational and maintenance processes, remote monitoring technology and a wider programme of improvements across the network.
Focus shifts from transition to performance
For passengers, the change of operator is intended to be largely seamless. Behind the scenes, however, the commencement of the contract represents a significant transfer of operational and maintenance responsibility for one of Ireland’s most important urban transport systems.
Luas has become a central part of Dublin’s public transport network since opening in 2004, with its Red and Green lines connecting communities and major employment, education and commercial centres across the city.
The challenge for KeolisAmey will be to maintain the network’s established performance while introducing new technology and asset management practices that can support growing demand and future expansion.
Tom Joyner, Managing Director of KeolisAmey Luas, said: “This is an important day for everyone connected with the Luas. We inherit a network with a strong reputation for safety, reliability and customer service, and our priority is to protect and build upon that success.
“Our focus is to ensure a smooth transition for passengers and colleagues while working with our partners to start to deliver the improvements and innovations that will help shape the future of the network.”
Maintenance and asset management central to new approach
The combination of operating and engineering expertise is likely to be an important feature of the new contract.
Remote monitoring in particular offers the potential to identify developing asset issues earlier, allowing maintenance teams to move towards more predictive interventions rather than responding after failures occur.
For a busy urban light rail system, improvements in asset availability can have a direct impact on passenger reliability as well as longer-term maintenance costs.
Andy Milner, CEO of Amey, said: “Amey has a long history of managing and maintaining critical transport infrastructure, and we are proud to bring that expertise to Luas. Together with Keolis, we will focus on ensuring the network remains resilient, efficient and well positioned to support Dublin’s future transport ambitions.
“By combining operational excellence with engineering and asset management expertise, we will help create the foundations for the network’s continued development in the years ahead.”
Keolis will meanwhile bring experience from light rail and other public transport operations internationally.
Richard Graham, CEO of Keolis Ireland, said the partnership would seek to bring “international expertise, innovation and best practice” to the continued development of Luas.
Preparing Luas for future growth
The contract begins as Dublin continues to place greater emphasis on public transport capacity and sustainable mobility.
That makes the long-term resilience of Luas increasingly important. As well as carrying millions of passengers each year, the network will need to accommodate changing travel patterns and support wider ambitions to expand sustainable transport across the capital.
Donal Dunne, Senior Operations Manager at TII, said: “The Luas has become an integral part of Dublin’s transport network and plays a critical role in supporting sustainable mobility across the city.
“We are confident that building on the strong foundations already in place will help ensure the network continues to serve passengers and communities successfully into the future.”
NTA Chief Executive Anne Shaw said the authority would work with TII and KeolisAmey to maintain existing service standards while pursuing improvements to customer experience and supporting future network growth.
For KeolisAmey, the start of operations is therefore only the first stage. Attention will now turn to how effectively the partnership can translate its international operating experience, engineering capability and technology into measurable improvements on an already mature light rail network.
With reliability, asset resilience and future expansion all important to Dublin’s transport ambitions, the performance of the new operating partnership will be closely watched well beyond Ireland.
