This month the Luas turns 20-years-old and one regular user has been reminiscing about her time on the lines.
Luas, the Irish word for 'speed', began operating on June 20th in 2004 with the opening of the Green Line.
The second Red Line opened in September that same year.
The Green Line - running from Broombridge to Brides Glen - is 20km in length and has 32 stops. The Red Line runs from The Point to Tallaght and from Connolly to Saggart with 35 stops.
![A Luas tram undergoing repairs.](https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2024/06/04153102/Luas-repairs.jpg)
Back in November 2006, the transport system carried its 50 millionth passenger.
The Luas Broombridge extension, originally known as the Luas Cross-City Line, was opened in December 2017 and now sits within the Green Line.
Some 48.2 million passenger journeys were made on Luas in 2023 with an average of over 140,000 journeys made each day.
In contrast just 22 million passengers were carried in 2005.
Irish Independent features writer Saoirse Hanley recently took the Luas across the entire network and told Moncrieff there's not a big difference between the lines.
"There was shenanigans on one Luas and people drinking and things like that," she said.
"On the other I encountered these women who were all part of the same horse club who were talking about a party that one of their mother's was throwing.
"But then later I came across plenty of rowdy teenagers on the very same Green Line Luas who were certainly dispelling any ideas I had that it was going to be different.
"It's all one mad city that we live in and they are definitely all taking both sides of the Luas".
'Feeling safe'
Ms Hanley said she rarely feels unsafe on the Luas.
"I have gotten the Luas late but I've never had any cause to feel hugely unsafe, unless I'm staying on it quite a while and I'm at a really quiet stop," she said.
"For the most part there's always people getting on it somewhere and you're passing through so much of the inner-city that you feel you're never really alone - it's at least very populated.
"The only times maybe I've felt uncomfortable is if there is somebody kicking up a fuss or maybe drunk or yelling at people.
"I've definitely felt safe being carried from A to B usually".
Ms Hanley said people are likely to feel more unsafe when they get off the Luas than on the Luas itself.
![Passengers using the Luas in Dublin](https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2024/06/04153243/Luas-passengers.jpg)
Ms Hanley said we need to talk about seating on the trams.
"I personally hate travelling backwards on any mode of transport, so for me my first port of call is always facing forward," she said.
"Something we don't talk enough about is that the doors open on different sides.
"So if you are getting a Luas at rush hour and you think you've found a perfect seat, but you suddenly realise you are on the opposite end to door where you have to get off, that to me is a worst nightmare.
"You've to battle everyone and their bags and suitcases to get off."
She also has a formula for choosing the best place to sit.
"The absolute best spot is the single seat - the key is to sit sideways so you're not staring into the eyes of the other stranger sat across from you," she said.
"You know you won't have anybody sitting next to you, you know you've plenty of space and you know that you're never too far from the doors".
The Luas has even appeared in a 2012 Bollywood film called 'Ek Tha Tiger'.
"There's a whole sequence where the main character, [who is] a spy, and he has to stop a runaway Luas hitting pedestrians and cars," Ms Hanley said.
"Every single clip of the Luas is different; one minute he's on Aston Quay - which doesn't have a Luas - the next he's up by Harcourt Street.
"He manages to stop it with the very heroic action of riding on top of it and lassoing his suit jacket over the thing that connects it to the wires on top.
"Then they all celebrate and go sing songs in Trinity and it is definitely on my watchlist," she added.
The Luas has 73 vehicles in total with trams ranging in length from 40m to 55m.
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