A French company is contracted to run the Luas for the next five years. Olivia Kelly looks at their record in other countries.
Connex, the French company contracted to run Luas for the next five years, has successfully managed transport systems in the 23 markets around the world where it has won contracts, except one.
In Britain, Connex has lost two franchises in the last four years amid accusations of financial mismanagement and operational incompetence.
The largest private transport operator in Europe, Connex has developed a huge international presence with an annual turnover of €3.7 billion. It has 57,000 employees, 4,000 km of rail track and operations on four continents.
In April the company, working with Yarra Trams, secured a AU$2.3 billion (€1.3 billion) contract to take over Melbourne's metropolitan train and tram networks for four years. A month previously it won the franchise to operate the suburban passenger rail services in Auckland, New Zealand.
However, Connex's track record in the UK is not good. In October 2000 it became the first company in Britain to be stripped of its rail franchise, losing the contract to operate the south-central rail service following complaints over poor punctuality and rundown trains.
This happened a year before the then minister for transport, Ms Mary O'Rourke, announced that Connex had won the €127 million contract to run Luas. Since then, in February 2002, Connex lost its second UK rail operation.
The Connex south-eastern franchise had been due to run until 2006, but its contract was terminated by Britain's rail regulator, the Strategic Rail Authority in June 2003.
The SRA cited Connex's "failure to meet a detailed action programme of improvements".
Speaking at the time, the chief executive of Connex in the UK, Mr Olivier Brousse said he was shocked by the "unexpected" decision.
"Whilst we acknowledge the SRA's decision, we strongly disagree with the reasons behind it."
The company had been in negotiations with the SRA aimed at "restoring economic viability", but Mr Brousse said Connex had not been given enough time to improve the service.
Connex has consistently denied accusations that it wasted money. Britain was a new market for it, but it was dealing with old infrastructure which, it said, had seen no investment for 40 years.
Connex trains had been criticised for being old and run down, but the company said as part of its negotiations with the SRA it had planned to introduce new trains on all its lines by 2004.
A spokeswoman for Connex in Ireland said the company's difficulties in the UK would have no bearing on the performance and standards of Luas.
"It's irrelevant to Luas. That was a heavy rail system. It was an old system that Connex had inherited with old stock. There's no comparison to Luas which is light rail and completely new."
Luas would be more accurately judged against eight tram or light rail networks Connex manages around the world, she said. Connex runs trams in Barcelona, Berlin, Bordeaux, Görlitz, Nancy, Rouen, Saint-Etienne, Stockholm and Sydney.
Under the five year Luas contract, the Rail Procurement Agency has the right to terminate the deal if Connex fails to perform satisfactorily.
Connex Transport in Ireland will headed by chairman, Mr Liam Connellan, and managing director Mr Richard Dujardin.