On the October 16th, 2010, Mr. Brian Cowen, the Irish Prime Minister, inaugurated the new extension of the Dublin (Ireland) light rail network, LUAS B1 Line, interconnecting Sandyford to Bride’s Glen, in a total extension of 7.5 km.

Additionally, the event included the presence of several personalities, like Lettie McCarthy, Councillor in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, and several representatives of RPA (Railway Procurement Agency).

This important project represents an investment of nearly 300 M€ and was concluded three months before the initially foreseen date, and this new line will allow the operator, Veolia, to add over 2 million passengers per year to the LUAS network.

With a total of 12 new stops, 4 traction substations and 8 road/railroad crossings, this new extension of the LUAS includes significant amount engineering and systems provided and developed by Efacec, responsible for the design, supply, installation and commissioning of all electromechanical systems, namely electrical systems, signaling, telecommunications and remote control.

Efacec was also responsible for supplying the communications system for the 16 new Citadis 402 vehicles and for replacing the previous command and control center by the EFARAIL platform, fully developed by Efacec, providing a better response to the growing demands of this operation. This delicate migration, which involved the entire existing network, was carried out without interrupting its commercial operation, which demonstrates the high level of Efacec’s technicians’ skill and knowledge.

The environmentally sustainable development of the city of Dublin will continue to count with Efacec’s contribution, which is estimating the conclusion of another line for the emblematic Irish public transportation system by the second trimester of 2011.