Christmas has come early for the public transport sector with an order of 90 new battery electric train carriages for DART+.
The €179m deal between Iarnród Éireann and Alstom was announced on Tuesday by Transport Minister Eamon Ryan.
It has been hailed as a major boost for public transport enabling further expansion of the DART and wider rail services while decarbonising the existing diesel fleet.
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The new train carriages are due on Irish railways by 2026 and will help increase the numbers living within 1km of a DART station by around 350,000 people.
Minister Ryan said: “I am delighted the Cabinet agreed to the purchase of 90 new battery-electric train carriages for arrival in 2026.
“This comes on top of the 41 intercity carriages currently arriving into Ireland as well as the 95 carriages approved by Government last year for the DART+ Programme.
“We are doing this because the scale of change we need to make is beyond compare – to provide better, more frequent and more accessible transport choices to many more people and to meet our emissions targets.”
The train order will consist of 18 modern 5-carriage Battery-Electric Multiple Units which can operate in electric-only mode using overhead cables, batteries or in battery-electric mode in other parts of the rail network.
They will benefit services from Dublin City Centre to Drogheda to the north, Maynooth/M3 Parkway to the west and Celbridge/Hazelhatch to the south-west.
The adaptable nature of the carriages means they could also be used between Greystones and Wicklow as well as Cork Commuter Rail, serving communities between Mallow, Cork, Cobh and Midleton subject to funding for new infrastructure.
Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA, said: “The procurement of these battery-electric carriages is indicative of the urgency that is being shown when it comes to providing sustainable accessible transport alternatives for communities along these lines and beyond.
“I have no doubt the DART+ as a programme of projects will prove to be transformative for the entire region, and work is already proceeding well on progressing the infrastructure schemes.
“In the draft GDA Transport Strategy 2022-2042, we announced the Public Service Obligation bus and commuter rail fleet in the Dublin Metropolitan Area will be 100% electric and zero-emission by 2035.
“[The] announcement marks a significant step towards that objective.”
Jim Meade, CEO of Iarnód Éíreann, also welcomed the Cabinet’s decision saying: “The funding will enable us to bring capacity and emission benefits to current and future commuters in advance of electrification.
“The benefits will be felt nationwide as existing Intercity and Commuter carriages operating in the Greater Dublin Area are freed up for use around the national network for more frequent services and more capacity on a range of routes.”
DART+ is a programme of five complementary projects to substantially expand DART services by 2030. It was approved by the Government in December 2021 and covers:
1. DART+ Fleet: project to replace and expand DART passenger capacity with modern, low-emissions train carriages
2. DART+ West: electrification of Maynooth Line, new depot near Maynooth and improvements to Connolly and Docklands stations
3. DART+ South West: electrification of Kildare Line (including Phoenix Park Tunnel) as far as Hazelhatch/Celbridge and four-tracking between Park West and Heuston
4. DART+ Coastal North: electrification of the Northern Line as far as Drogheda
5. DART+ Coastal South: improvements, including level crossing removals, to the existing DART line to Greystones
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