Luas burnt out during Dublin riots arrives home after €5m repairs in France — a tram’s long return
On a grey morning at Rosslare Harbour, passersby stopped to look as a split tram carriage sat uncovered on the quay: the same 5037 that was torched in the Dublin riots. The luas tram, returned from France after an extended refurbishment, drew quiet attention more than two years after flames gutted its interior.
What happened to the Luas tram 5037?
Tram number 5037 was set on fire during rioting on November 23rd, 2023, after its windows were shattered and a burning bin was brought on board. The incident resulted in severe damage to the interior, seating and wiring of the carriages. The man who set the tram alight was jailed for three years. The cost of the damage to the tram amounted to €5 million, and the service was suspended for 24 hours after the incident.
How was the damaged tram repaired and who handled the work?
After an engineering assessment by Transdev’s team, 5037 was split into two parts and departed for France in November 2024 for repair and refurbishment. The works were carried out by Safra, a French company specialising in passenger transport repairs that has previously repaired other trams from the fleet. Transdev’s 2024 financial accounts noted that the tram was “scheduled to be back in service at the beginning of 2026. ” Procurement records referenced in past documents place the approximate cost of a Citadis tram at about €5 million, and earlier purchases for an extended line involved seven new trams bought for €36 million.
What does the return mean for the city and the wider conversation?
The homecoming of 5037 has multiple meanings. For commuters and for those who watch the network daily, the visible repair of a heavily damaged carriage can be read as both a practical recovery and a symbolic gesture of resilience. Transdev’s engineering decision to send the tram for specialist repair rather than immediate scrappage prompted debate about cost, sustainability and fleet management. One voice in public correspondence described the tram’s return as “heartening, ” urging a stance of “Reduce, reuse, recycle” and offering thanks to the operator for the refurbishment.
At the same time, the return sits alongside other public policy debates captured in recent discussions at a European level. Barry Andrews, Member of the European Parliament, warned about the difficulty of regulating rapidly evolving digital harms, saying, “That such nudify apps like Grok are not banned in the EU is shocking but shows how difficult it is to regulate such ever-changing AI technology. ” He added, “There is one opportunity, the ongoing talks between the commission, [European] Parliament and national governments right now on simplifying the AI Act. We must all come together urgently, set aside politics, and agree that these horrible apps are banned from Europe as soon as possible. Tech companies who allow such apps online in future must see their services rapidly suspended. ” Those words illustrate how technical fixes, legal frameworks and public expectations often collide when recovery from harm is at stake, whether for a tram or for digital victims.
Operationally, the tram’s repair comes as the operator faces a changing contract landscape. A British-French joint venture between Amey and Keolis has been selected as the preferred bidder to take over the tram operation after the incumbent lost the long-running contract. That shift adds another layer to decisions about maintenance, fleet renewal and spending priorities.
For now, the patched and polished carriage at Rosslare Harbour is both a machine and a marker: a costly repair completed far from home, a sequence of engineering choices, and a reminder of how public transport networks carry not only passengers but civic stories of damage and repair. As the tram moves back to the capital and toward a scheduled return to service, the conversation will continue about when repair is right, who pays, and what lessons the city draws from a carriage that once burned and has been rebuilt.
