Christmas comes early for customers on the Dublin-Sligo line today (Wednesday 19th December 2007): the 11.05hrs Connolly-Sligo service will see the inaugural journey of the first train of a new 183 carriage, €400 million Intercity railcar fleet, set to transform quality, comfort and frequency right across the national rail network.
In-service trials have begun on the daily 11.05hrs Dublin-Sligo and 14.55hrs Sligo-Dublin, with more new trains to be brought in to service on the Sligo line in the New Year, resulting in an increase in services from 5 to 8 trains each way daily from 21st January 2008.
All routes will then benefit as the fleet is rolled out through 2008, including:
- Sligo/Dublin
- Rosslare/Dublin
- Waterford/Dublin
- Westport/Dublin
- Tralee/Dublin
- Tralee/Cork
- Galway/Dublin
- Limerick/Dublin
- Carlow, Athlone, Portlaoise commuter routes
The 183-carriage Intercity railcar order will see frequency improvements across all routes, when all trains are in service by the end of next year.
The fleet was ordered from Mitsui of Japan, in partnership with Rotem of the Republic of Korea (where the fleet was constructed) and Tokyu Car Corporation of Japan.
Together with a previous order of 67 carriages now operating hourly services on the Cork-Dublin route, the new fleet will transform Ireland’s Intercity rail fleet from the oldest in the European Union to the newest.
The Intercity railcar order is funded by the Irish Government under the Transport 21 investment programme and the European Regional Development Fund.
Features of new fleet
Benefits to customers will include:
- Significantly higher frequency and capacity on all InterCity routes
- Modern on-board comfort standards
- The replacement of outdated fleet across the network
- Improved accessibility for mobility-impaired customers
- Better reliability and performance, with integral engines in each carriage
Features of the Intercity railcar fleet will include:
- Automatic PA and information display systems
- Electronic seat reservation displays for web bookings
- Fully air-conditioned
- Internal CCTV system for improved security
- Sleek carriage design
- Advanced safety features throughout
In a new departure for Iarnród Éireann’s Intercity fleet, the new trains are railcars, with integral engines in each carriage – this delivers greater reliability and performance, as well as operational flexibility.
Trains are in 3-car and 6-car sets, with seating for 192 customers and 378 customers respectively.
Eco-friendly fleet
It has also been revealed that the new Intercity railcar fleet will be the greenest diesel train fleet in Europe.
The European Union are set to impose stringent new emission standards for rail vehicles, which are already the most environmentally sustainable form of travel.
Iarnród Éireann’s new fleet already meets the Stage 3B EU emission limits for nitrous oxides (2.0g/kWh), a limit which will not be enforced until 2012. They also meet the Stage 3A limit for soot particles, of 0.2g/kWh, which will be enforced from 2009.
Iarnród Éireann’s fleet transformation comes at a time of record demand for rail services, with 43.1 million journeys made on the country’s rail network last year, and a further record journey total set to be achieved in 2007.
The figures confirm Iarnród Éireann’s status as the fastest growing railway in the European Union.
CIÉ and Iarnród Éireann Chairman Dr John Lynch said “with this record order of new trains for our network, every single rail customer with Iarnród Éireann will be able to travel on modern, quality trains, designed with the latest customer needs in mind. The transformation of our rail service is extraordinary – we have totally rebuilt our network, we have dramatically expanded commuter capacity, and now we are completing the task of a total renewal of our Intercity fleet. With record demand, and the best performance levels ever achieved on our network, we will continue to grow with the investment support from the Irish Government under Transport 21, to allow our rail services play the strongest possible role in meeting the transport needs of our customers and our communities.”
Sligo route investment
The new fleet is the latest phase in the transformation of the Sligo-Dublin route.
Since 1999, over €150 million has been invested in Sligo services; including the total renewal of track along the route; resignalling, level crossings, platform lengthening and other safety investment. This also includes investment in the existing railcar fleet introduced in December 2005 on the route, which delivered an increase in services from three each way per day to five each way per day.
Together with the route’s best ever punctuality, consistently over 95%, these improvements have resulted in the Sligo-Dublin line being the national network’s fastest growing route, with more than 1.1 million passenger journeys in 2006 – a huge increase of over 17%, with a further 11% growth forecast for 2007.
With the new fleet, and increases in services from January, growth on the Sligo-Dublin line is set to continue into the future.
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