40 Years Of The DART
July 23 2024
Today marks the 40th aniversary of the commencement of commerical service on the DART
DART proved all the critics wrong who claimed it would be green elephant, its first day was the busiest day in 150 years of railways in Ireland, approximately 750 million passengers later no one could imagine who Dublin could keep moving without the DART.
It was a transformative, the clean green trains marked an almost unimaginable change from the dirty, dark, smoky, graffitied, unreliable and patchwork service which came before.
Mark Gleeson, spokesperson Rail Users Ireland, himself a passenger on opening day in 1984 said "The DART was such an incredible step forward and changed life and Dublin City forever, it demonstrated that where fast and reliable public transport is provided it will be used and use will exceed expectations"
Despite that success and public support politics got in the way and phases 2/3/4 were cancelled. Phase two involved a line from Tallaght and Ronanstown to Heuston under the Quays to just beyond Connolly station, phase 3 a line from Blanchardstown via Broadstone to Sandymount and a line to Ballymun and the Airport. Finally a bus way from Dundrum to the city. All sounds strangely familiar.
40 years on, still not a single sod has been turned on DART to Maynooth, Hazelhatch, nor has work started on Metro all of which are the modern version of the original 1973 plans. There are no excuses our politicians and civil servants have failed the people of Dublin and Ireland.