A new DART station opens this morning at Clontarf Road in Dublin. It has special access, including lifts for those whose mobility is impaired, and it was 65 per cent financed by the EU Structural Fund. The station, which is on the direct access route to the East Link bridge, was previously used as a DART train depot. The next DART station planned by Iarnrod Eireann will be at Barrow Street, between Pearse Street and Lansdowne Road. Construction is to begin next year.
Meanwhile Iarnrod Eireann's new train schedule highlights an eight-a-day service between Dublin and Belfast, using rolling stock built to Eurostar standards. This is part of a £120 million project, co-funded by the European Union, under which journey times will also be reduced.
The journey between Dublin and Belfast will take two hours, with the first train to Belfast leaving Dublin at 7.40 a.m. and the last train to Belfast leaving at 8.30 p.m.
Hopes of even faster Dublin-Belfast non-stop services have been delayed because the Lisburn to Belfast rail stretch has not been modified to take the high speeds possible on the rest of the track, according to Iarnrod Eireann.
The Eurostar rolling stock has been in use on an experimental basis since the beginning of the summer. Iarnrod Eireann has been concerned that customers should be familiar with the carriages before they are brought into full service. The toilet doors, for example, have no handles but are operated electronically.
The rolling stock was manufactured in France by De Dietrich. The investment includes the upgrading of track; the re-signalling of the line south of Portadown; the upgrading of bridges; and the improved clearances to bridges to accommodate larger freight units. In all, 38 bridges have been rebuilt and the signalling has been computerised.
Among other changes, the 7.35 a.m. service from Cork to Dublin will now leave at 7.30. There will be an improved suburban service between Dublin and Drogheda and plans for new stations in Drumcondra and Kilcock, Co Kildare have been announced.