What benefits will the Dart+ rail project really bring to Drogheda?

The much-heralded Dart+ project, which promises new trains and much increased capacity on the railway line between Drogheda and Dublin, has moved a step closer with the resolution of a judicial review case in which the parties reached an out-of-court agreement.

The news has been broadly welcomed by public representatives, the media and the travelling public.

Drogheda City Status Group (DCSG), while welcoming any improvement to the lengthy and stressful daily commute faced by around 15,000 people from the city of Drogheda and its environs, says that several important questions about the new project remain, and that clarification is needed by Government and Iarnród Éireann/NTA on the exact level of capacity increases and service frequency will be offered when the Dart+ finally comes into operation.

Diesel trains at Drogheda station, beneath new Dart+ charging infrastructure.

First and foremost, it has long been the view of Drogheda City Status Group that no serious effort has been made to entice large-scale employers to our city, and to generate significant numbers of locally-based jobs. No earnest attempt has been made to create jobs in Drogheda, which would reduce the commuting population and take pressure off the overstressed transport networks.

The Dart+ project is being heralded as a much-needed development in view of Drogheda’s massively increasing population, but it is not being balanced with credible endeavours to allow the people of Drogheda to work in their own city.

Improvements to the rail service, coupled with a massive amount of residential development on the fringes of Drogheda, further perpetuate Drogheda’s status as a commuter city. People who buy or rent homes here will, by and large, have to face a daily commute on overcrowded motorways, trains and buses to get to their place of work.

Capacity and frequency

What doesn’t seem to have been communicated clearly in the publicity around Dart+ is just how its introduction will affect capacity and frequency on the Drogheda-Dublin rail route.

Digging into these questions, DCSG has been in touch with sources within Iarnród Éireann/Irish Rail.

In its own communications on the subject of Dart+, IÉ says that the project is funded by the Department of Transport through the National Transport Authority (NTA), under project Ireland 2040. It adds that “the project will significantly increase the peak hourly capacity and frequency on the Northern route between Dublin City and Malahide, Howth and Drogheda, with the section between Malahide and Drogheda nearly doubling capacity from about 4,800 to 8,800 passengers at peak hour/direction when complete.”

MacBride Station Drogheda from the air. Photo © Anthony Murphy

The first question arising from this statement is this – Will the Dundalk/Drogheda to Connolly trains go as far as Malahide (stopping at the intermediate stations on the way) and from there (Malahide) non-stop to Connolly? Or will these trains serve all the stations on the current Dublin area Dart route between Malahide and Connolly? If the latter, that will be a horrendous trip for passengers, especially since there are no toilets on board the trains.

Another question surrounds the timetabling of new services. Our sources suggest Dart+ is, in reality, a fleet replacement project which will replace ageing diesel multiple units, and which will continue to operate on the existing timetable schedule.

IÉ’s own internal communication on this issue is somewhat equivocal: “This increase in services will be subject to demand and will be part of a separate timetable consultation process in conjunction with the NTA.”

Recruitment

Our information from IÉ sources suggests a significant recruitment of train drivers would be needed to properly staff any increase in the number of trains operating on the Drogheda to Dublin route.

Current services on the northern commuter route are operated by diesel multiple units, in the form of the ageing 29000 class DMUs and the 22000 class ICR (InterCity Railcar) units. Some of the 22000 ICR sets have been “borrowed” from the Dublin to Sligo line, but due to increased frequency of trains on that service, some of these DMU trains have to be “given back” to the Sligo line.

The 29000 units are proving problematic because of age and maintenance issues. One Iarnród Éireann source told us that the current DMU sets have, on average, at least 25% of engines and generators powered off, adding that this was largely down to the inability to keep them serviced quickly enough. All train units are required to be kept in operation constantly, only taken out of operation for regular servicing and maintenance at the DMU maintenance depot located at MacBride Station, Drogheda. (DCSG would add that this is one of the few success stories of recent years in terms of creating employment opportunities for highly skilled workers in Drogheda!)

A further success story for Drogheda is the fact that the Drogheda maintenance depot is currently being expanded to service the new battery/electric Dart+ fleet. Let’s celebrate the small victories!

Train sizes

Peak-hour services between Dundalk and Dublin are currently operated by two four-carriage DMU sets, making eight carriages in total. The size/length of trains cannot be increased because most of the stations between Drogheda and Dublin do not have platforms long enough to accommodate extended train sizes.

The new battery-powered Dart+ trains will consist of five carriages. Each five-car Dart+ unit will be the same length as a current 29000 class four-car set. Peak time trains will probably be operated by two five-car battery-powered trains (i.e. 10 carriages in total), but an obvious question is what scope there will be in these new trains for additional passenger capacity. Peak-time commuter services on the northern suburban line are crowded to the point that lots of passengers have to stand for the duration of their journey.

While work is ongoing at MacBride station on the expansion of the maintenance depot, and the installation of overhead charging infrastructure for the new battery trains, there is a serious question about the time scale for the delivery of the Dart+ project.

A year ago, Iarnród Éireann took delivery of a bi-mode multiple-unit train from manufacturer Alstom in Poland, amid a flurry of media attention. However, there has been little media attention to the fact that this train has been on trials on the Dublin Dart network (at night time, when regular services have stopped) and those trials have demonstrated that the batteries in the new train are not fit for purpose.

Our information is that the new fleet of battery-powered trains coming from Alstom (expected to be ordered imminently by the Irish Government) will have to be fitted with different batteries than those in the trial train. The batteries are supplied by French company, OP Mobility.

Delayed by a year

This issue with the batteries is likely to set the whole Dart+ project to Drogheda back considerably. The first Dart+ trains were due to enter service by the end of 2026. That has now been pushed out to the second quarter of 2027.

The bi-mode trains (battery and electric) will operate by electricity supplied by overhead lines between Dublin and Malahide, and will switch to on-board battery power for the onward journey from Malahide to Drogheda. Charging infrastructure at MacBride Station will enable the batteries to be fast-charged in Drogheda.

Eventually, overhead wires will be installed between Malahide and Drogheda, allowing battery power to be phased out in favour of electricity supplied by these overhead wires. The installation of those overhead wires from Malahide to Drogheda is due to commence from 2028.

Enterprise problems

The double track between Drogheda and Dublin is also used by the Dublin-Belfast Enterprise service. The Enterprise is also beset by significant challenges. The ageing train sets operating that service were introduced in 1997, and are suffering from regular breakdowns and failures.

A Belfast to Dublin Enterprise train at MacBride Station Drogheda.

New trains are on order, to be manufactured by Stadler. Eight train sets have been ordered in additional to simulators. Delivery of the first sets for testing is expected in 2028, with introduction to service in 2030. Some sources in Iarnród Éireann are wondering how the existing De Dietrich Enterprise trains will survive until then.

The Enterprise is ostensibly a high-speed service. Frequency of Dublin-Belfast trains is being increased so that there will be an hourly service. However, these high-speed trains are sharing the same double-track as the commuter trains between Dublin and Drogheda.

Increased frequency can only be facilitated by either adding rail lines to the existing twin track (which in many stretches is impossible) or by adding what are called “passing loops”, which are effectively sidings or track loops alongside the existing twin track at certain locations along the route. There does not seem to be any clear indication from IÉ about whether passing loops will be installed when the new Dart+ train sets and the new Enterprise sets are introduced.

When eventually work does begin on installing OHLE (overhead line equipment) on the Malahide to Drogheda section, all of that work will have to be done when the line is closed, and this will only occur on bank holiday weekends. It’s possible that the Drogheda to Dublin line will be closed to commuter traffic in sections on non-bank holiday weekends. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Key questions:

• Will the new battery/electric Dart+ trains serving Drogheda be operated on a new timetable with increased frequency of services?
• Will the new Dart+ 5-car train sets have additional capacity for passengers over the current 4-car DMu sets?
• Will the new trains have toilets on them?
• What is Iarnród Éireann/Translink’s maintenance plan for the current De Dietrich Enterprise trains, since reports suggest they are suffering regular breakdowns. How does IÉ intend to keep those trains in service for another four years?
• Is there a firm plan to introduce passing loops between Drogheda and Malahide/Dublin?
• How disruptive will the installation of overhead wires between Malahide and Drogheda be to existing services?
• Is there a plan to recruit more drivers for the proposed/suggested increased capacity/frequency on both Drogheda-Dublin commuter services and the Enterprise?
• How many staff will the new battery train maintenance depot employ?
• When DMU trains are phased out, what will happen to the current diesel maintenance depot located at MacBride station, Drogheda?
• Is there any capacity in the system to use/borrow train sets from other lines to maintain service levels between Dublin and Drogheda?
• How many ICR sets were re-rostered (borrowed) from the Sligo service?

There are lots of questions. Many of these are not being asked by the media. Drogheda City Status Group welcomes any improvements to the transport systems linking Drogheda and Dublin, but ultimately many people would prefer to work close to where they live. Battery/electric trains will help the environment by removing pollution from diesel engines, but a better solution to the jammed-up motorway and train networks is to provide sustainable solutions for future generations as Drogheda expands beyond all predictions.