Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 249: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of passengers carried daily on the Luas; the extent to which it has replaced motor-cars; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29792/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The average Monday to Friday carryings are 60,000 passengers per day. In 2005, Luas is on course to carry nearly 21 million passengers. This is substantially ahead of projected passenger numbers. The Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, and the Dublin Transportation Office are carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the effect of Luas on travel patterns. The "before Luas" survey was carried out in the spring of 2004 and it is intended that the "after Luas" survey will be carried out in 2006 when travel patterns on Luas have become more established.

The RPA has also carried out less formal research on its customer base and it is clear that a large proportion of Luas users had previously used private vehicles. Apart from car transfers, there also appears to be a significant number of new trips to the city centre for business and recreation. This view is shared by city centre businesses, which report a substantial increase in business as a result of Luas and is reflected in the high levels of Luas usage in the traditional off peak periods and at weekends.