A life-size prototype of the new DART+ fleet carriages was unveiled by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan at Inchicore Railway Works this morning.
The carriages, developed by manufacturers Alstom, are in the final phase of the design process. In total, 185 of the new carriages have been ordered to date, with delivery commencing in 2024 and entering service from 2025.
The new fleet was designed with the help of customers and "prioritises independent access", with low-height doorway thresholds equipped with an automatic retractable step on all carriages. This feature will offer "the potential for unassisted level access from suitable platforms, aligned with platform enhancements".
Read more: Irish Rail lodges application seeking new DART line to Celbridge by end of decade
The carriages will also provide improved dedicated wheelchair spaces and improved facilities for families and for cyclists, with dedicated family and bike areas. Charging facilities will feature throughout the new fleet as well as an advanced CCTV system with cameras throughout every carriage.
Irish Rail said the DART+ trains will have enhanced customer information, with large, high-resolution onboard displays having the ability to provide real-time updates, including information from other public transport systems in the Transport for Ireland network, and other features designed for the needs of sensory impaired customers. The displays include features such as indicators for customers on busier areas of the train, advance notice of which side to exit the train.
Other features include "comfortable individual seating, reflecting longer distances which the DART+ fleet will operate" and "an ergonomic design for drivers, with driver focus groups also being a key part of the design process".
Up to 750 carriages will be ordered over the next decade and will be built at Alstom's factory near Katowice in Poland. Minister Eamon Ryan said that the new fleet will facilitate DART trips to and from Drogheda from 2025 and then beyond to the rest of the planned network.
"It is great to see this preview of the new DART+ carriages today, which customers have helped design and which will be available in the coming years," he said. "The DART+ Programme will transform our commuter system, vastly increasing the number of passengers who will have access to a quality and reliable rail network.
"This new fleet will facilitate DART trips to and from Drogheda from 2025 and then beyond that to the West and South West. With dedicated wheelchair, family and bicycle areas, the new fleet will ensure accessibility to a wide variety of passengers at different times of the day and week, providing comfort and independence for all users.”
The new carriages were described as "transformative" by Chief Executive of the NTA, Anne Graham. "The framework for up to 750 electric/battery electric carriages, including 185 electric/battery electric carriages for DART, is a key part of the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy which we published recently," she said.
"These new carriages will be transformative, offering potential for independent access for all passengers, improved facilities for families and cyclists across the Dublin Metropolitan Area.
"The developments in the DART+ programme will see a significant increase in the number of passengers living close to a DART station giving more people the option to use our expanding sustainable public transport network.
"The use of the fleet prototype to facilitate early engagement on the design and key features of the new trains is welcomed, as it provides opportunities for members of the transport public to provide input into the design process by interacting with the key features of the new fleet.”
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