Iarnród Éireann takes delivery of the first of 80 new diesel railcars this summer, but it will be the end of next year before they are fully deployed.The order for 80 railcars from CAF of Spain at a cost of €115 million is Iarnród Éireann's largest single order of suburban carriages.
As well as increasing capacity on Dublin and Cork suburban routes, the delivery will allow intercity-style carriages currently in use on Dublin suburban services to be redeployed to intercity services.
Dublin "suburban" services which will benefit from the increased railcar fleet include the Drogheda/Dundalk services, where the majority of peak services will be increased from four or six to eight-carriage trains.
The Maynooth and Longford services will be similarly extended, while on the Arklow services the new railcars will replace 1960s carriages which have attracted much criticism.
The new carriages will also improve services on the Kilda-re/south-west commuter services through longer trains and increased frequency on completion of the first phase of the Kildare route project.
In Cork, the capacity of the Cork-Cobh suburban service is to be doubled by the new carriages. The carriages can also be used on intercity services at peak times.
Key features of the new railcar fleet include fully air-conditioned passenger areas; in-carriage audiovisual passenger information systems; closed-circuit television cameras linked to the driver's cab; and an emergency intercom to the driver.
Features for sensory-impaired customers include exterior livery designed to highlight doors for partially sighted, door open/close buttons illuminated with tactile markings, a passenger information system and destination indicators.
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/irishtimes/8a09a42a-bf7b-491e-848d-432f8309b3fa.png)