CIÉ has embarked on a €59 million upgrade of the original fleet of Dart carriages which have been in use since the Dublin suburban rail service started in 1984.

The upgrade programme by Siemens in Germany will extend the life of the fleet by 20 years and bring the service on a par with newer carriages introduced since 2000.

"The original 76-carriage Dart fleet have served the people of Dublin fantastically well over the last 22 years," said CIÉ chairman Dr John Lynch.

"Now, this major refurbishment programme will ensure that quality and reliability is continued and improved, with the most modern features incorporated, to serve Dubliners for another two decades."

The capacity of the carriages will be increased in the programme and audio and visual automated passenger information systems will be introduced.

New safety features in the upgrade include the introduction of an emergency communication system in the passenger area and fire retardant materials.

The first carriages from the initial batch of 20 returned from Siemens last week.

They will go into service next spring after a testing programme.