First new DART train assembled in Inchicore

The new trains will help expand services and offer increased accessibility for commuters.

On November 13^th, Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail unveiled the first fully assembled train from the new DART fleet at an event in the Inchicore Works facility. 

The new battery-electric units will replace the original DART units, which have been in use since the service was launched back in 1984. 

Built by French railway manufacturer Alstom at their Katowice plant in Poland, the new trains are a big leap forward for Irish Rail. 

These new trains are key to Irish Rail’s DART+ programme, which will see DART services enhanced on the existing network and expanded to reach Drogheda, Maynooth, and Hazelhatch & Celbridge.  

The order from Irish Rail for 185 new trains was placed back in 2021, with options for up to 750 carriages. 

The order so far is split between battery-electric multiple units (BEMU) and electric multiple unit (EMU) trains. This example, one of the BEMUs, features a combination of batteries and overhead power. 

The new trains are some of the most accessible this country has seen and will feature an automatic retractable step, level boarding, plenty of wheelchair access, and wide-open gangways to allow greater movement between carriages. 

According to a press release from Irish Rail, “Each 10-carriage train, made up of two of these five car train sets joined, will be the longest train size operable by the new fleet on current infrastructure, and will have capacity for at least 1,100 customers.” 

The new trains can reach a top speed of 145km/h. At 85m, each five-carriage set is the same length as the current four-carriage trains. 

These BEMUs, which account for 155 of the current order of 185 trains, will be key to DART+ as, with a range of 80km, they will be able to operate on sections of the network that have yet to be equipped with overhead power. 

This includes DART+ South West, which will connect the network with the Phoenix Park tunnel and operate to Hazelhatch & Celbridge. Part of this expansion will see a new Heuston West station constructed at the mouth of the Phoenix Park tunnel, where Heuston’s disused Platform 10 is located. 

Due to the difference in track gauge between Ireland and Poland, testing for the new trains cannot be completed in Katowice before their delivery. 

Regulatory approval and testing of the new trains will begin immediately and continue throughout 2025, with entry into service scheduled for early 2026. 

Testing along the network will be mostly conducted during the night. 

A railway order application for DART+ South West was lodged with An Bord Pleanála in March 2023. The programme will offer enhanced connectivity for commuters in the Liberties with an increase in service from 12 trains per hour in each direction to 23 per hour each way. 

It is proposed to connect DART+ West and DART+ South West with the Dublin Metrolink at a new Glasnevin Station. 

“DART+ South West will benefit commuters on this route by providing a frequent, reliable and sustainable public transport service for commuters from Hazelhatch & Celbridge to Heuston and to the south city through the Phoenix Park Tunnel,” Irish Rail spokesperson Jane Cregan said.

Irish Rail aims for DART+ South West services to commence in 2029, following major work on the 20km section of the Cork Mainline. 

Commuters in the Liberties and beyond can expect to travel on these new DART sets and lines within the next five years. 

Update: An Bord Pleanála has approved the Railway Order for DART+ South West.