Iarnród Éireann in 350m Euro plan for Kildare line
October 11th 2005
Iarnród Éireann has begun the first stage of an estimated 350 million Euro investment in commuter rail lines between Dublin and Kildare.
The project is designed to increase the frequency of train services on the Kildare to Heuston Station corridor.
The revamp aims to add seven million extra passengers on the route each year, and could see thousands more use trains every day.
Iarnród Éireann says it will increase passenger numbers by increasing the number of tracks from two to four along much of the route.
This would provide two dedicated lines for commuter services and two dedicated lines for Intercity and regional services.
This week, Iarnród Éireann starts the project by placing advertisements for the Railway Orders process for their Kildare Route Project in both national and local newspapers.
The orders process is equivalent to the planning permission process for new rail schemes.
It provides for a public inquiry to establish the final scope of the project and covers compulsory purchase order powers for Iarnród Éireann
Final costs of the project will only be fully known after the planning stage is completed.