The Minister of State for Transport, Mr Ivor Callely, has said he is "disappointed" and "a bit dejected" that he could not get approval from his own Department for a dedicated bus service linking Dublin's two Luas routes in time for the Christmas season.
The Minister also confirmed that the Dublin Port Tunnel will not be open to traffic until the second quarter of 2006 at the earliest.
Speaking as he inspected progress on the tunnel, Mr Callely told The Irish Times that he had asked Dublin Bus to bring forward proposals for a Luas shuttle bus linking St Stephen's Green and Abbey Street in time for the Christmas shopping season.
Dublin Bus responded with proposals on which it had been working since last August for a dedicated Imp bus service, bedecked in the Luas colours, which would take passengers from St Stephen's Green through the city centre to O'Connell Street, crossing the Luas line at Middle Abbey Street.
Dublin Bus said the service could be operated economically as the Imp buses would have spare capacity since they normally served schools and colleges, many of which would be closed for Christmas holidays. Separate costings were given to the Department for free services and those supported by fares.
The proposal won the backing of Mr Callely but yesterday he said his officials had pointed out that Dublin Bus already had another application in for a service from Heuston Station to St Stephen's Green which, although not a dedicated, non-stop service, would encompass much of the proposed Luas link. "It is because of the 1932 Act, it's crazy but it seems you can't apply for another route where you already have an application for a similar route. I'm a bit dejected," he commented.
However Mr Callely added that Dublin Bus would be extending its route 92 from Heuston Station to St Stephen's Green and while this would not serve O'Connell Street, and was not a non-stop service, at least passengers could travel between the Luas lines on a bus.
In a separate move, Dublin Bus revealed that it intends to "brand" its existing routes 10 and 46A, which connect the Luas terminuses at St Stephen's Green and Abbey Street, with special Luas colours on buses and on bus stops along the route.
"At least passengers will know that if they get on a bus at a stop with Luas branding they will eventually come to the other Luas line," said a spokeswoman.
The Minister said the Port Tunnel was still scheduled to be completed by August 2005, the date consistently put forward by the city council. But he revealed that the "fitting out" of the tunnel would continue into December 2005, ruling out the possibility that it would be open to the public by Christmas 2005.
Following that period there is to be a three-month "testing" period, meaning that it will be April 2006 at earliest when the tunnel is open to the public.
"The three-months testing is an EU requirement, there is nothing we can do about it", he said.
