Irish Rail seeks permission to replace Dart fleet with 100 new carriages – The Irish Times

Irish Railway is seeking approval for a new order for 100 electric train cars worth around €250 million to replace the original ones. Dart fleet.

The original Dart fleet dates back to 1984 and numbers 80, German-carts, of which 76 survive. Between 2000 and 2004, the service was expanded by adding 68 Japanese– manufactured cars that will remain in operation.

The safety certification for the original Dart fleet was originally scheduled to expire in 2014, but was extended until July 2024, when the fleet reached its 40th anniversary. Earlier this year it was extended again until the early 2030s.

However, Irish Rail has now concluded that the cost of maintaining the original fleet is prohibitive beyond the cost and benefits of purchasing new carriages. This is based on the costs required for more frequent overhauls, the new train protection system and the limited passenger amenities offered compared to new trains.

Irish Rail has confirmed it is in discussions with the National Transport Authority on a business case which will be submitted to Cabinet for approval.

Irish Rail spokesman Barry Kenny said he hoped an order for the new trains would be placed with French train manufacturer Alstom “early in the new year”.

Irish Rail has not confirmed the cost of the new trains. However, industry sources suggest the cost per carriage will be €2.5 million, with battery trains being more expensive than those powered only by overhead wires. Based on this, the cost of 100 new cars to replace the original fleet will be 250 million euros.

Irish Rail has already placed two orders with Alstom to expand its electric vehicle fleet, mainly for the Dart+ programme.

The first order was for 95 cars, 65 of which will be battery-powered and 30 will be powered by overhead cables. The order was announced in December 2021 and the cars are expected to enter service in early 2026.

( Irish Rail seeks life extension for original Dart fleet despite advice from chief mechanical engineerOpens in a new window )

The second order, placed in December 2022, was for 90 battery electric cars, which are expected to enter service in the summer of 2027.

If approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, new carriages for the initial Dart fleet will enter service in the summer of 2028.

The procurement process under EU rules allows Irish Rail to continue to add orders to Alstom for a total of up to 750 carriages, subject to government funding and approval.

However, Irish Rail chief executive Jim Meade said the big constraint on the network was track capacity and Irish Rail had a long-term plan to add additional tracks on the northern line into and out of Dublin to separate commuter services from intercity services. .