Skip to main content

Underground DART plan back on track

Irish Rail is set to proceed with the US$2.8 billion underground second DART rail line through the heart of Dublin city centre, following a recent High Court decision which gave the green light for the project. The line, which would run from Docklands to Inchicore, would complete the trebling of the Greater Dublin area's rail service capacity from 33 million passenger journeys annually now to 100 million passenger journeys upon completion.
May 7, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
RSS7757 Irish Rail is set to proceed with the US$2.8 billion underground second DART rail line through the heart of Dublin city centre, following a recent High Court decision which gave the green light for the project.

The line, which would run from Docklands to Inchicore, would complete the trebling of the Greater Dublin area's rail service capacity from 33 million passenger journeys annually now to 100 million passenger journeys upon completion.

DART underground will be the single most important piece of infrastructure in the state, to promote a modal shift from private cars to public transport and free future generations from the gridlock which cripples the Greater Dublin area.  It also links all rail modes - DART, commuter, intercity and the city’s light rail tram system, Luas, to form an integrated cohesive transport network.

Irish Rail has begun issuing letters to 5,000 home and business owners in Dublin city centre about acquiring land under compulsory purchase orders for the project, but the Department of Transport is reviewing the project  in advance of the next capital plan in 2015, although a spokesman said that it ‘remains a key integration project’.

Related Content

  • November 21, 2012
    Transportation hub the centre of sustainable urban development
    A marriage of transit, technology and culture is taking shape in Minneapolis, with ITS systems vital to hopes for a sustainable development centred on a hub of public transportation. Construction started in July this year on ‘The Interchange’ – a station in the Midwest US city of Minneapolis claimed as the most spectacular expression yet of the fast-spreading North American concept of transit-oriented development (TOD). Due for completion in 2014, the Interchange is designed as a multi-modal public transpor
  • March 20, 2015
    German cities order Bombardier Transportation light rail vehicles
    Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation has signed contracts with both the Düsseldorf Rheinbahn and Cologne transport authorities (KVB) for the delivery of 62 Flexity light rail vehicles in total. The contract with KVB is for 20 vehicles and is valued at approximately US$68 million. Rheinbahn’s contract for 42 vehicles, with an option for 16 additional vehicles, is valued at approximately US$135 million.
  • March 16, 2015
    Egis, Systra to carry out design studies for Medina metro
    The Medina Metro Development Authority (MMDA) has awarded Egis, in association with Systra, a contract to carry out the design studies for the future metro network in Medina. The contract covers three lines (green, blue, red) stretching a total of 95 kilometres, including 25 kilometres underground and 48 kilometres overhead. The project is part of an ambitious plan initiated over the past few years by Saudi Arabia to develop and modernise its transport infrastructure. As the second holy city in the country,
  • May 2, 2018
    Running on empty
    Drivers are an increasingly rare species on Europe’s commuter metros as unattended train operation is embraced. David Crawford takes a low-speed tour of the continent’s capitals to see what’s happening. Unattended train operation (UTO) is fast becoming the norm for Europe’s metros, on existing as well as new lines. November 2017 statistics published by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) show the continent as having 28% of the global total of route km on lines operating at the ultimate