Sector-wide progress shared at latest Light Rail Operators Committee meeting in Dublin

The latest Light Rail Operators Committee (LROC) meeting held in Dublin, brought together operators from across the UK and Ireland to share updates, explore challenges and strengthen sector-wide collaboration.

Hosted by Transdev Ireland and organised by Graham Fitzgerald, Vice Chair of LROC, the session included a packed agenda covering everything from anti-social behaviour, system upgrades, passenger engagement to operational resilience.

Delegates presented updates on high-profile projects which included LUAS expansion plans, Cardiff Crossrail progress, NET’s Operation Safenet and a recruitment drive at West Midlands Metro.

The value of learning from one another was evident, with Operators sharing updates on service patterns, major incidents and the role of customer insight to help shape service improvements.

LUAS presented impressive figures showing passenger numbers now exceeding pre-2020 levels by 12%, with weekday passenger ridership reaching 137,000 journeys. Transdev’s recent timetable upgrade has already delivered the planned increased frequency and made the timetable more operationally resilient, while wider plans to extend the network to Finglas and Poolbeg and launch a new LUAS system in County Cork, underline long-term growth across Ireland’s light rail network.

Innovation across the UK light rail networks continue with West Midlands Metro discussing the successful rollout of its Operational Control Centre simulator and Signals Passed At Stop driver training aids, while Edinburgh is discussed its investment in branding and tap-on/tap-off success. 

Elsewhere, attendees from Manchester, Nottingham, London and Sheffield detailed a wide range of improvement works, anti-social behaviour initiatives and innovation projects, all focused on building passenger growth and safety across networks.

Rostering was agreed to be the core focus of  of the next LROC meeting which, scheduled to take place in Birmingham ahead of the 2025 UKTram Summit, will adopt rostering as a key focus theme. Steve Mabey, Chair of LROC and Head of Operational Planning and Delivery at KeolisAmey Metrolink commented: 

 "As operators, we each face unique local pressures, but what continues to stand out is the remarkable alignment in our aspirations and the common ground we find in areas such as safety, service delivery, innovation and driving growth on networks. These discussions reaffirm the strength of our collaborative approach and the value in sharing ideas and experience across borders.  I remain continually impressed with the openness and support shown between group members. This spirit of partnership is what drives positive change in our sector and ensures we can collectively shape a more sustainable, customer-focused future for light rail.    A sincere thank you goes to our hosts, Transdev Luas, for their warm hospitality and for showcasing the excellent work being done in Dublin. Their commitment to excellence provided the perfect backdrop for a highly productive meeting." 

LROC continues to play an essential role in supporting the UK and Ireland’s light rail sector by facilitating peer learning and coordinated development. The next meeting in Birmingham will take place ahead of the UKTram and LRSSB Light Rail Summit and will place a particular emphasis on rostering, with space for operators to exchange ideas and explore potential solutions together.