# LUAS to The Point



## TarfHead (15 Dec 2009)

Why did they bother  ?

Last night I had tickets for Eddie Izzard at The Point. I thought that I would step out of Connolly station and then whoosh down to The Point on the new LUAS line. After the concert, I would then hop on a LUAS, back to Connolly, and then a DART home.

Huh !

Outside Connolly station around 7:10pm last night, the LUAS information board informed that the nest LUAS would be to the Red Cow in 11 minutes. No mention of when the next one to The Point would be, so we got a taxi.

After the performance, there were, what seemed to be, hundreds of people queueing to get the LUAS. We figured that even if we waited in the queue, we would get to Connolly after the last DART had departed, so we got another taxi.

I assume the LUAS was extended to The Point to accomodate people attending events in the venue; I can't think of any other reason why anyone would want to go to that area. If so, then what's the point in building the infrastructure unless you are able to provide a service ?

Next time I'll drive.


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## RonanC (15 Dec 2009)

Its a bit silly to be honest that 2 out of 3 Luas go to The Point and not Connolly and then there is no direct line from Connolly to The Point. 

So, at present you can get off at Busáras and walk across the road to Connolly or walk from Connolly to the Busáras stop and jump on for The Point.


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## dereko1969 (15 Dec 2009)

next time do a little research first, Luas don't stop at Connolly for the Point you have to walk over to Busaras which is the guts of 100m and get on a Point Luas there, the time spent for the Luas going into Connolly and then back out and down to the Point wouldn't make any sense.

Anyone who's actually used the Luas from the Point after the gig has said it was very well organised but it does take time to process a few thousand people onto the trams they can't all be magic'd onto one super ginormous tram so the RPA have 3 waiting for them.

The extension to the Point isn't designed just for people getting off the train at Connolly or just for the 02 it's about opening up another area of the Docklands to public transport for (but not solely) people coming in from the Red Line.


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## Howitzer (15 Dec 2009)

TarfHead said:


> Next time I'll drive.


Zooming forward 6 months ... grrrr I can't believe it. I drove into The Point to see Hannah Montana (my fav) and there was no parking!!! Like, that's sooo not cool.


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## TarfHead (15 Dec 2009)

dereko1969 said:


> next time do a little research first, Luas don't stop at Connolly for the Point you have to walk over to Busaras which is the guts of 100m and get on a Point Luas there, the time spent for the Luas going into Connolly and then back out and down to the Point wouldn't make any sense.


 
I checked www.luas.ie yesterday and read 2 articles in the News section about the new service to The Point. Neither of those articles state that one has to use the Busaras stop to get there. And there is enough about the LUAS that doesn't '_make any sense_' so it was, for me, plausible that all trams went from Busaras to The Point via Connolly.



dereko1969 said:


> Anyone who's actually used the Luas from the Point after the gig has said it was very well organised but it does take time to process a few thousand people onto the trams they can't all be magic'd onto one super ginormous tram so the RPA have 3 waiting for them.


 
In the time we spent considering our options, there was one packed LUAS at the stop, a couple of hundred people nearby, and no sign of empty trams waiting to be filled.



dereko1969 said:


> The extension to the Point isn't designed just for people getting off the train at Connolly or just for the 02 it's about opening up another area of the Docklands to public transport for (but not solely) people coming in from the Red Line.


 
The attractions of Docklands, east of Spencer Dock, other than The Point, is a mystery to me.


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## callybags (15 Dec 2009)

Was there not a nice lady on the tram around the VHI building on Abbey St. who said "next stop- Busarus, change here for trams to The Point"?


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## TarfHead (15 Dec 2009)

callybags said:


> Was there not a nice lady on the tram around the VHI building on Abbey St. who said "next stop- Busarus, change here for trams to The Point"?


 
There may have been, but there was no '_nice me_' on the tram at that point  !

I arrived into town on the DART.


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## callybags (15 Dec 2009)

Ah!

That'll learn me for not reading the OP properly.

I was on the Luas two days before the extension opened heading for the Horslips concert. They were obviously testing their systems, so when we approached Busarus, the nice lady said her piece and the tram emptied out with people expecting another Luas to collect them and deliver them down to the Point.

I got off as well to walk the rest of the way. I tried explaining to an many as possible that there would be no tram going any further, but nobody believed me!

Not sure if they're all still there.


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## TheBlock (15 Dec 2009)

TarfHead said:


> The attractions of Docklands, east of Spencer Dock, other than The Point, is a mystery to me.


 

The Good people of Eastwall and Ringsend ocasionally like to use public transport too. They are quite happy with the extension of the Luas Line.


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## TarfHead (15 Dec 2009)

TheBlock said:


> The Good people of Eastwall and Ringsend ocasionally like to use public transport too. They are quite happy with the extension of the Luas Line.


 
I can't see many people hiking from East Wall along East Road, across Sherriff Street & off New Wapping Street to Spencer Dock or The Point to use the LUAS.

And, if there were no Point/O2, I doubt the LUAS would have been extended in that direction. And if they're not laying on sufficient trams to serve the post-event crowds .. ?


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## shanegl (15 Dec 2009)

There's a train station at the docklands which links up with the luas stop. And your expectations are ridiculously high if you expected to be whisked straight into town along with thousands of other people.


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## Ron Burgundy (15 Dec 2009)

TarfHead said:


> Why did they bother  ?
> 
> Last night I had tickets for Eddie Izzard at The Point. I thought that I would step out of Connolly station and then whoosh down to The Point on the new LUAS line. After the concert, I would then hop on a LUAS, back to Connolly, and then a DART home.
> 
> ...


 
I thought it was great.......the Luas worked perfectly for me.

All it lacked with some Jazz Chicken


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## TarfHead (15 Dec 2009)

Ron Burgundy said:


> .. all it lacked with some Jazz Chicken


 
Touché !

There were a suspicious character in the queue wearing a pork-pie hat, and an agitated squirrel looking for his wife


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## TarfHead (15 Dec 2009)

shanegl said:


> There's a train station at the docklands which links up with the luas stop.


 
Great, if you need to get to Maynooth.



shanegl said:


> And your expectations are ridiculously high if you expected to be whisked straight into town along with thousands of other people.


 
Not thousands. Nor straight away. Just sufficient rolling stock to clear the hundreds that were there.


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## Cahir (16 Dec 2009)

I used the Luas to and from the O2 last Thursday and it was great.  Got on no problem at the stop at the back of the CHQ building and on the way back after the gig it was very well organised.  People with return tickets were directed straight on to one of the waiting trams with no queuing.  Definitely beats the walk down the quays.


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## papervalue (16 Dec 2009)

I was on luas last weekend down to the point. 

I saw it as odd that it did not link up with the connolly station stop( Maybe they should have moved the connolly forward a bit to meet it)

The person on speaker was telling people to get off for Connolly at the next stop which was george's dock which to me was longer away from connolly them bus eireann stop.

In years to come I can see them trying to relink the connolly stop back into main line from tallaght to point.

I can see a lot of people from the countryside coming to Dublin Heuston going to Connolly and missing the stop and ending up down near point.


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## Phibbleberry (16 Dec 2009)

As an everyday user of the Luas, the new system has resulted in a New Years resolution not to use the thing anymore - to walk, and save myself €40 per month. 

It has its upsides of course -money saving, health benefits, but it will cost Veoila/RPA at least one/this customer!

I can see it being beneficial for concert goers and IFSC workers but its no longer feasible to short hop from Connolly to city centre (Jervis/Smithfield/Courts) as only one in every three trams swings by Connolly now. Yes, you can get off and walk the (very) short distance to Georges or Busaras but if unless you play chicken with the Amiens St. traffic, its likely you might miss a Luas, and be waiting at the stop anyway. And if you're only doing a two or three stop hop, then its not quite worth the price of the trip anymore.

It won't affect anyone from Busaras outwards to Tallaght, in fact, it will give an increased frequency on an over-subscribed line (quids in!), but I would imagine they made a substantial amount of money on those lazy short-hoppers (like myself) and I envisage many more like me, giving up on bothering - saving ourselves, an the RPA lots of moolah!

...as long as we all stick to our resolutions... (I give it to the first wet March morning!!)


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## bond-007 (16 Dec 2009)

I would keep a few coins in your coat to cover those mornings.


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## MugsGame (16 Dec 2009)

Ron Burgundy said:


> I thought it was great.......the Luas worked perfectly for me.



Ditto, got the LUAS back from The O2 after the show yesterday and there were three empty trams waiting. Though security managing the LUAS queue were a bit hassled by queue jumpers moving the barriers. 



> There were a suspicious character in the queue wearing a pork-pie hat, and an agitated squirrel looking for his wife



Now that you mention it I heard something about a legless child in the water with a 'dolphin' - might explain why security were distracted.


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