Irish Rail and Translink in Northern Ireland are evaluating tenders for the replacement of cross-Border Enterprise trains between Dublin and Belfast.
The project, supported by €165 million in EU funding will see the current four trains on the route replaced by eight trains, six of which are expected to be in service. The other two will act as backups.
The trains are being designed as a hybrid electric/diesel service initially with the possibility to switch to fully electric in line with longer-term plans to electrify the whole line between Dublin and Belfast.
The tender was published in September 2023, and the contract is expected to be awarded before the end of this year. Irish Rail spokesman Barry Kenny said a time frame of about two years from tender to award of contract represents “no undue delay”.
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“In fact, it is about three months shorter than it took to order the trains for the Dart+ programme.” Asked why the process takes so long, Mr Kenny said the procurement is “very complex”.
The jointly-operated Enterprise was introduced in 1947 and continued to run throughout the Troubles.
Journey times range between two hours and five minutes and 2¼ hours, with stops in Portadown, Newry, Dundalk and Drogheda. There are 15 daily services from Monday to Saturday and eight services on Sundays.
The new trains are expected to reduce travel times to about one hour and 55 minutes.
The current Enterprise trains on the route reach the end of their design life in 2027, but they are expected to get a short extension, with the new fleet due into service in 2029.
The new hybrid trains will be designed to switch from the 1,500 volt overhead electric wires, which power the Dart, to 25,000 volts, which is used for long distance train journeys.
Irish Rail and Translink were granted funding of €165 million for the project under the Peaceplus cross-Border programme, that is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body, a North-South implementation body established under the Belfast Agreement.
Additional funding for the project is to be provided jointly through the Department of Transport and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The total cost is expected to be in the region of €650 million including encompassing the fleet, a 15-year maintenance contract, technical support services and spares.
The contract for the manufacturing of the new Enterprise fleet is expected to be awarded this year, subject to final funding approval from the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.
Campaign group Rail Users Ireland welcomed the plans to upgrade the Enterprise service but said the Dublin to Cork fleet should also be replaced.
Spokesman Mark Gleeson said strong passenger growth since an hourly Dublin – Belfast service was introduced in 2024 “points to an urgent need for new trains”.
“Full public consultation is required to ensure seating layouts, comfort and accessibility issues can be looked at before construction to avoid issues later,” he said.
