£1bn investment acknowledges decades of railway network neglect

In investing £1 billion in Iarnrod Eireann over the next six years the Government is acknowledging decades of neglect of the railway network. However, the Government and Iarnrod Eireann insist that things will improve once the investment strategy kicks in.

In the short term the imperative is to increase the capacity of the existing system, while in the medium term additional trains and tracks will be provided. Long term, the Taoiseach has announced a strategy, "A platform for Change", which will see investment of £8 billion between 2000 and 2016.

Increasing the capacity of the current system involves re-signalling the central corridor at a cost of about £200 million, work which will allow 16 trains in each direction per hour, as opposed to the current 12.

The deployment of 10 new DART cars last December increased capacity to allow for an expanded service to Malahide and Greystones while 16 new cars are expected in the spring. By late spring the measures will have added 6,600 spaces for commuters in the morning rush. The Department of Public Enterprise now puts the peaktime capacity of DART at 37,000 passengers, 10,000 more than the same period in 1999.

A new DART station is to open at Barrow Street soon.

In the Arrow service 20 additional railcars are planned to be added this month on the Connolly-Maynooth line, replacing elderly diesel cars. Work on the doubling of the track between Clonsilla and Maynooth has been completed to provide for the expansion of service.

Another 12 DART carriages are on order, due for delivery late this year and 60 Arrow cars are due for delivery in 2002 and 2003.

Traffic on the Limerick/Cork line is to be separated from the Kildare-based commuting traffic by the creation of two new tracks which will enhance local and intercity services. Private enterprise involvement will see a new link to Dublin Airport by about 2007, while a timetable for the reopening of the Dublin/Navan line will have been agreed by 2003.

Luas services to Tallaght and Sandyford are on target to open in 2003, while work will begin on selecting the metro alignment this year.

In the longer term there will be Luas lines serving Harold's Cross, Lucan, Ballymun and Coolock, with a circular metro in the city having spurs to the airport and Shankill.