Work on new Luas line to begin 'within weeks'
Work on the new cross-city Luas line in Dublin is to start "within weeks".
According to the Irish Times, plans to break ground are set for June 24.
The Luas Cross City line is 5.6km long and will extend through the city centre from St Stephen’s Green West to Broombridge Station on the Maynooth railway line.
It will see a total of 13 new Luas stops added to the network and link the Red and Green Luas Lines.
The first job will be to fill in cellars belonging to historic Georgian buildings along the route, one of three phases of works required to create a clear route ready for Luas tracks.
The second phase will see various items of historical and cultural significance taken out of the way of the works - including such well-known items as the Molly Malone statue at the bottom of Grafton St.
The third phase of preparation works will see new pipes and cables for gas, electricity and communications laid so that pipes under the Luas path can be decommissioned.
When the initial three phases of works have been completed and the route is cleared and ready for track laying the final phase will start.
Around 800 jobs per annum are expected to be created during construction of the Cross City line, which will also see the creation of 60 permanent jobs.
The cost of the project will be in the region of €370m.
