Project: LUAS light rail system, Dublin, Ireland
Supplier: Ridgeway
The development of an extensive light rail transit network throughout Dublin has been Government policy for almost two decades, with recent focus being on integrating the existing Red and Green lines to assist passenger interchange and boost usage numbers in a project known as the Luas Cross City Line. Construction on the €368m Luas Cross City line began in 2013 and was delivered on time and on budget in late 2017, a rarity for such a complex scheme.
Dura Composites’ exclusive Irish distributor Ridgeway were selected to supply a Glass Reinforced Structural walkway for the Broombridge Depot at the end of the line to help facilitate the inspection of carriages prior to usage. Fabricated from market-leading GRP Dura Grating mesh panels and Dura Profile GRP Wide Flange Beam, the walkway is lightweight, durable and has improved access and accessibility for maintenance staff.
Commenting on the work conducted at Broombridge Depot, Stephen Kane, MD at Ridgeway said:
Dublin’s tram network is already one of the busiest in Europe, and is amongst the most efficient. The Luas system carries 43 million passenger journeys annually and has an annual turnover of €75 million, so a durable structural walkway such as this which enables operating and maintenance contractors to carry out routine inspections with ease and safety is paramount.
Dura’s GRP solutions were ideal for this project as the resulting walkway is non-conductive, lightweight and requires virtually no maintenance. This means it offers excellent lifecycle benefits for our end client Transport Infrastructure Ireland. In the past 5 years, advancement in composite materials have meant that they have become a viable choice to meet the needs of improvement & refurbishment works across the railway infrastructure, and we look forward to working on future projects that help deliver both safety and long-term value.
Unlocking the Power of GRP for Rail Infrastructure Projects
GRP composites can provide major design flexibility, time saving benefits and significant lifecycle advantages over traditional materials such as steel and concrete, and recent clarification of key standards areas such as fire performance have made them more accessible than ever.
Tailored properties such as strength, stiffness, weight and colour can be engineered by product design at the early stages of development and applications for GRP within traincare depots include GRP walkways, trench and duct covers, access gratings, ladders, refuge platforms, handrails and structures.
