TONY MILES describes the new Alstom fleet ordered for commuter services in Dublin
Expansion of Dublin’s commuter network is in the offing. Funded under the National Transport Authority’s National Development Plan 2021 to 2030, the DART+ Programme will more than double commuter capacity and treble the extent of electrification of the Greater Dublin area rail network.
It will also facilitate the withdrawal of vehicles from the original Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) fleet, dating from 1984, later in the decade.
On 13 December Alstom was confirmed as the supplier of up to 750 new carriages for the DART, having been announced as preferred bidder in June 2021. An initial firm order of 95 carriages has been placed, comprising 6x5-car conventional 1.5kV DC electric trains and 13x5-car battery-electric trains, at a total project cost of €317.8 million. This includes substantial design costs for the full framework agreement which covers the next decade.
Ireland’s Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan T.D., the Global CEO/ Chairman of Alstom Henri Poupart- Lafarge, and Chief Executive of the National Transport Authority Anne Graham joined Iarnród Éireann’s Chief Executive Jim Meade at IÉ’s Inchicore works to forma…
