The €1 billion Dart+ West project, which will see the electrification of the rail line to Maynooth in Co Kildare, has been given Government approval.
The approval will allow Iarnród Éireann to apply to An Bord Pleanála for a railway order to build the line, with an application expected to be lodged next year. Construction is expected to take up to four years.
The preliminary business case was also approved for the wider Dart+ programme, which will double passenger capacity per hour to 52,000 and treble the length of the Dart network to 150km.
The full programme will involve five main elements: electrification of services on the commuter lines to Maynooth, Drogheda and Hazelhatch/Celbridge; purchase of new Dart trains; and upgrade of the existing southern Dart line to Greystones.
In August last year, the National Transport Authority and Irish Rail published plans for the expansion of Dart services first announced 16 years ago.
