Rail transport in Ireland

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For rail transport in Great Britain see rail transport in Great Britain

Most Rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland, and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.

As the map below demonstrates, most routes in the Republic are radial from Dublin, while the North has suburban routes from Belfast and just two "main lines", to Londonderry (Derry) and to the border. The effects of the partition of the country are readily visible, with only one "cross-border" line now remaining.

A major infrastructure plan for the Republic of Ireland, Transport 21, was announced by the Irish Minister for Transport on 1 November 2005 which re-announced some existing plans but added some new heavy rail, light rail and metro projects covering the period to 2015.

The map shows the present railway network in Ireland and includes routes that are fully operational, lines carrying freight traffic only, and those which have been "mothballed" (i.e. closed to traffic but still to some extent in situ and subject to inspection). Some airports are marked for reference – Farranfore and Belfast City Airport are the only two within walking distance of a railway station. Nevertheless, the railway runs very close to Derry/Londonderry city airport and also the Antrim to Lisburn line skirts Belfast International (Aldergrove). It would be a simple matter to provide stations at both airports, the only impediment being investment. Places having seaports are indicated as such, though only a few ports remain rail-connected. The country's principal mountains and lakes have also been marked for location purposes.

Current railway routes, along with major towns/station and some features such as mountains, ports and airports are shown on this map of Ireland

Contents

History

The history of rail transport in Ireland began only a decade later than that of Great Britain. By its peak in 1920, Ireland as a whole had 3,400 route miles of railway. The current status is less than half that amount, with a large unserviced area around the border area between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland based in Whitehead, County Antrim runs preserved steam trains on the main line, with the Irish Traction Group preserving diesel locomotives, and operating on the main line. The Downpatrick & County Down Railway is the only self-contained full-size heritage railway in Ireland.

Traction

Locomotives

One of the 34 GM locomotives bought in the 1990s, Iarnród Éireann locomotive 215 "River Avonmore - An Abhainn Mhor", sits at Grand Canal Dock DART station.

Main article: Diesel Locomotives of Ireland

34 locomotives were added to the rail system in the early 1990s. This was a joint order by IÉ and NIR, with 32 locos for the former and 2 for the latter. They were supplied by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. The NIR locos, although shipped in NIR livery, were repainted in 'Enterprise' livery as were at least two IÉ locos. Iarnród Éireann designated their locomotives the '201 class', the entire 34 locos being numbered 201 to 234 (the NIR locos were later prefixed with an 8). These locomotives are the heaviest to run in Ireland to date, and are 3200 horse-power (2.5 MW). In December 2004, a new livery for the InterCity sector was tested on 228, consisting of dark green, lime green and grey. It is thought that this will be used as a permanent new intercity livery on new carriages. This new Intercity Livery is now being painted on other members of the class. A revised version of the existing livery has also been tested on another 201 locomotive and many members of the class are now appearing in this livery. Other locomotives in the class are due to be refurbished in any case.

IÉ's other locomotives are also from GM. There are 18 '071' class 1976, 2475 hp (1.8 MW), 12 '181' class 1966, 1100 hp (750 kW), 36 '141' class 1962, 950 hp (700 kW) and 2 remaining '121' class locos 1960, 950 hp (700 kW) (124 and 134). Mostly 071 are used on freight services and now only few Sligo line passenger trains as many services are now formed by the 29000 class Dmus. (formerly suburban services also, but these are mostly diesel multiple unit (DMU) operated now). NIR have three other GM locos, numbered 111, 112 and 113. There is seldom more than one of these serviceable at a time and 112 is effectively owned by IE having been used by them for over two years. These are identical to the 071 class locomotives.

Multiple units

Main article: Multiple Units of Ireland

NIR and IÉ both run suburban services using DMUs – these are often termed railcars in Ireland (see rail terminology). IÉ also operates a few of its intercity services (including services between Rosslare Europort and Limerick Junction/Dublin Connolly and Dublin/Sligo, and one service per week from Connolly to Belfast and back. NIR is replacing some ageing DMUs with new regional railcars built by CAF, which arrived in 2005. These have been designated 3000 class. A series of difficulties has been encountered in testing, delaying the delivery and entering into service of some units. IÉ introduced 17 new suburban railcars in 1993 as the 2600 class (built by Tokyu, Japan) for the Kildare 'Arrow' commuter service. One of these has now been used for spare parts. Further additions to the fleet were made in 1999 (27 2700 class, GEC-Alstom built), 2000 (20 2800 class, Tokyu built) and 2003 (80 2900 class, CAF built). A further 36 CAF railcars arrived in 2005.The odd 2600 and 2700 railcars have been sent to Scotland for overhaul, to enter service as a mixed pair designated 2651 and 2652.

Rolling Stock

Main article: Coaching Stock of Ireland

The most modern carriages are designated Mark IVs, and have been operating since 2006-05-22 on the Dublin-Cork route.

The 'Enterprise' service also has modern rolling stock on the island. The carriages, commissioned in 1997, are by De Dietrich. They comprise a dining car, first class carriage(s) and driving van trailer (DVT) for push-pull operation. Notable is the omission of a generator van (the DVT does not have its own generator either). This requires the GM locos to supply head-end power (HEP) for heating and lighting.

NIR also has a number of refurbished Mark II carriages acquired from the Gatwick Express service and converted to run on the Irish 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in) track gauge. These are generally referred to as 'the Gatwicks'.

The backbone of IÉ's main intercity services to Cork, Limerick and Galway are the Mark IIIs. These carriages are the next most modern intercity stock after the De Dietrichs, being built in 1980, 1986 and 1989. Unlike their British equivalents they are equipped with power-operated external doors. They include a dining car, first class carriage (although on all but two of the sets, the carriage is half first class and half standard class), generator van and typically six ordinary carriages (prior to the smoking ban in the Republic, one of these was a smoking car). Three of these carriages were refurbished by Iarnród Éireann in 1993 to be converted into CityGold business class accommodation for use on selected Dublin to Cork services.

Routes such as Dublin to Waterford and Sligo, as well as some early and late services to Cork are typically served in some part by Mark IIs. Air conditioned Mark IId type carriages date back to 1972, and are distinguished from the similar Mark IIIs by having slam doors and being about 2 m shorter. Earlier Mark IIa/b/c carriages dating back to 1966/1970 have recently been scrapped (even before older carriages) since they suffered from corrosion.

The oldest carriages run by Iarnród Éireann are over 40 years old (1963/1965) and are termed the 'Cravens', the builder's name. They now only operate very rarely. These are slamdoor stock and are soon to be placed as reserve carriages. They may be scrapped, but the interior has been refurbished and they are structurally sound, unlike the Mark IIas. They are also steam-heated, leading to the scenes of a by-gone era gracing Ireland's railway stations, with jets and clouds of steam flowing out from the carriages while stationary. Problems with the ageing generator vans have made these carriages unpopular, as the heating (and even lighting) can be out of service. Some of this class will be withdrawn when the Mark 4s enter service and the rest will be placed in reserve for specials.

IÉ received 67 new intercity carriages (including dining cars, generator vans and DVTs) built by CAF of Spain in 2005. These are designated Mark IVs. The first set made its inaugral run on the 0900 Dublin to Cork service on 22 May 2006. They can be seen in storage at the Iarnród Éireann depot at Inchicore, Dublin, and at Limerick Junction. The GM 201 class will operate these trains on an hourly timetable between Dublin and Cork exclusively using this fleet. These will be formed into eight 8-car trains which will permit a massive expansion in Dublin to Cork frequencies. In January 2005 Iarnród Éireann ordered 120 Intercity railcars from Mitsu of Japan and in January 2006 increased this order to 150 railcars. These will operate all Intercity services apart from Dublin to Cork which will permit a massive expansion in service frequencies -- by 2008 IÉ anticipates frequencies on the network will be:

Dublin - Cork: Hourly all day.
Dublin - Limerick: Hourly, with a mixture of direct services, and shuttles connecting with Dublin - Cork services at Limerick Junction.
Dublin - Galway: Hourly at peak times, two-hourly the rest of the day.
Dublin - Waterford: two-hourly all day.
Dublin - Sligo: two-hourly all day.
Dublin - Westport: Existing through trains with extra shuttles connecting with Galway services at Athlone.
Dublin - Tralee: Existing through trains with extra shuttles every 2 hours connecting with Cork services at Mallow.
Dublin - Rosslare: Existing services with extra commuter services to Arklow/Gorey.

Main routes

Some services below usually, but not necessarily always, involve a change of trains. Changing points are shown in bold type. Usually services at different times of day will serve a different subset of the stations shown below. The "stations served" lists all possible stops for any train on a given route. As an example, some services to Limerick do not involve a change at Limerick Junction, and some services to Cork may stop at Limerick Junction, Charleville and Mallow only.

Dublin to Belfast

Stations served - Dublin Connolly, Drogheda, Dundalk, Newry, Portadown, Belfast Central

This service, named 'Enterprise', is jointly run by Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnród Éireann. Despite having some of the most modern intercity rolling stock on the island, it has been dogged by numerous problems. An historical problem on this route has been disruption to services caused by security alerts (devices on the line, hoax devices, threats and warnings). These continue to the present day.

The punctuality on this service remains poor for other reasons also. The intercity route, despite being mostly high quality continuous welded rail, is shared with suburban services outside both Belfast and Dublin. Unfortunately these are the busiest suburban routes on the island while only double-track is provided, hence very little mishap is required to disrupt the Enterprise service. In theory the trip should take 2 hours – there have been occasions where this has become almost 5 hours. To drive between the cities (which is nearly all motorway/dual carriageway) only takes about 2-3 hours.

A further problem is due to the locomotive and rolling stock arrangements. Unlike most other locomotive-hauled rolling stock in Ireland, generator vans are not part of the train – even the DVTs do not supply power. Thus the General Motors-built locomotives must supply head-end power for lighting and heating throughout the train. Although many types of locomotive are well-designed for this purpose, these particular locomotives have struggled under the extra strain. The wear on the locos and time out of service are unusually high. In fact, on at least two occasions locomotives have burst into flames while shuttling along the route.

Dublin to Cork

Stations served - Dublin Heuston, Newbridge, Kildare, Monasterevin, Portarlington, Portlaoise, Ballybrophy, Templemore, Thurles, Limerick Junction, Charleville, Mallow, Cork Kent

This was known as the 'Premier Line' of the Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR), being one of the longest routes in the country, built to a high standard and connecting to Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Kerry as well as to Cork. These other destinations all have their own services, although connections are offered to/from the Cork service at Limerick Junction (for Limerick) and Mallow (for Kerry).

Most services to Cork stop at four or five stations at most, usually at least Limerick Junction, Charleville and Mallow. Other stops are not as frequently served, as services from other destinations mentioned above also serve those stops. Journey time varies, but mostly trains take 3 hours to complete the journey (express trains with few or no stops take just over 2 hours).

Dublin to Limerick

Stations served - Dublin Heuston, Newbridge, Kildare, Monasterevan, Portarlington, Portlaoise, Ballybrophy, Templemore, Thurles, Limerick Junction, Limerick Colbert

This service follows the Cork route as far as Limerick Junction. Limerick services leave the main line via a direct curve onto the Limerick-Waterford railway. However, many Dublin-Limerick services involve a change at 'the Junction' onto a local train for the remaining half-hour of the journey. The Limerick to Limerick Junction section was built as part of the Waterford & Limerick Railway (W&LR).

Dublin to Galway

Stations served - Dublin Heuston, Newbridge, Kildare, Monasterevan, Portarlington, Tullamore, Clara, Athlone, Ballinasloe, Woodlawn, Attymon, Athenry, Galway Céannt Stn.

The route to Galway now runs partly along the Cork main line. Originally the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) to Galway was built starting on Dublin's northside, continuing on through Mullingar to Athlone. The section to Mullingar is now part of the Dublin-Sligo route.

The present route, built by the GS&WR in competition with the MGWR, leaves the Cork main line just after Portarlington. The River Shannon is crossed at Athlone. Athenry, the last station before Galway, used to boast connections north and south along the west coast (to Sligo and Ennis/Limerick respectively).

Dublin to Tralee

Railway tracks stretch into the distance from the level crossing at one end of Farranfore station.

Stations served - Dublin Heuston, Newbridge, Kildare, Monasterevan, Portarlington, Portlaoise, Ballybrophy, Templemore, Thurles, Limerick Junction, Charleville, Mallow, Banteer, Millstreet, Rathmore, Killarney, Farranfore, Tralee Casement

This relatively indirect route runs along what is in essence a branch line connected to the Cork–Dublin mainline at Mallow. Trains run to/from the south of Tralee, services also once ran north to Limerick via North Kerry (via Listowel, Abbeyfeale, Newcastlewest, and Patrickswell). The route became part of the extensive GS&WR network. As late as 2004 the route boasted some of the oldest rolling stock and locomotives in Ireland. In December 2005, railcars replaced the majority of locomotive hauled trains. There are now a record eight trains in each direction a day between Mallow and Tralee, including an early morning commuter service between Killarney and Tralee.

Dublin to Waterford

Stations served - Dublin Heuston, Newbridge, Kildare, Athy, Carlow, Muine Bheag (Bagenalstown), Kilkenny, Thomastown, Waterford Plunkett.

Since Kilkenny is a stub station, reversal is necessary when departing.

Dublin to Wexford/Rosslare Europort

Stations served - Dublin Connolly, Dublin Pearse, Dún Laoghaire, Bray, Greystones, Wicklow, Rathdrum, Arklow, Gorey, Enniscorthy, Wexford O'Hanrahan, Rosslare Strand, Rosslare Europort.

Dublin to
Stations served - Dublin Connolly, Maynooth, Enfield, Mullingar, Edgeworthstown, Longford, Dromod, Carrick-on-Shannon, Boyle, Ballymote, Collooney, Sligo McDiarmada

Dublin to
Stations served - Dublin Heuston, Newbridge, Kildare, Monasterevan, Tullamore, Clara, Athlone, Roscommon, Castlerea, Ballyhaunis, Claremorris, Manulla Junction, (Foxford, Ballina) or (Castlebar, Westport).

Regional Routes

Limerick to

Castleconnell Station, County Limerick

This line is subject to many speed restrictions due to the need to replace several old sections of track. Stations served from Limerick Colbert are Castleconnell, Birdhill, Nenagh, Cloughjordan and Roscrea, terminating at Ballybrophy. The line branches from the Waterford line just outside Limerick at Killonan Junction. All trains on this line connect with Dublin trains at Ballybrophy. Current services on the line consist of two return passenger trains a day from Limerick and three shale freight trains from Kilmastulla siding near Birdhill to the Castlemungret cement factory outside Limerick. Following a campaign by The Nenagh Rail Steering Committee founded by local politicans and community representatives and assisted by the internet news group Irish Railway News, a market research survey was funded by local Government. The market research was carried out in the summer of 2005 and showed there existed a market for improved services on the line. As a result of this study Iarnród Éireann has committed to allocating additional rolling stock to the line as part of its ongoing fleet replacement programme. This rolling stock will become available early in 2007, when it is planned to introduce a commuter service between Nenagh and Limerick.

Limerick to The Limerick to Ennis route is the only open section of a railway line extending from Limerick to Sligo, built by the GS&WR. The line was shut by CIÉ in 1976, but reopened in 1988 (Tuesdays and Thursdays only). In 1993 this was expanded to include Friday and Saturday services, and a full six-weekday service commenced in 1994. In 2003 the service was expanded from two/three services daily (one on Sundays), to around eight services a day, including six on Sundays. Relatively new commuter DMUs now provide a slow (40 minutes) but frequent service. The line is a single block section with no passing loops (a single train runs back and forth all day).
Currently only Limerick and Ennis are served. Former stations include Longpavement, Meelick, Cratloe, Sixmilebridge, Ballycar & Newmarket, Ardsollus & Quin and Clarecastle.
As of 2004 there has been discussion on opening Cratloe and Sixmilebridge stations and proposals have been made to link the line with Shannon Airport. Under the Transport 21 plan, the feasibility for the airport link will be completed and the Limerick-Ennis line reopened further north in three stages to Athenry, Tuam and Claremorris. A further extension to Sligo does not fall in the Transport 21 plan period. See also Western Railway Corridor.

Limerick to Waterford/Rosslare

Stations served - Limerick Colbert, Limerick Junction, Tipperary, Cahir, Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, Waterford Plunkett, Campile, Ballycullane, Wellington Bridge, Bridgetown, Rosslare Strand, Rosslare Europort.

The Limerick–Waterford route is the only true non-radial (from Dublin) route still open in Ireland that is not a branch line. The route was commenced in 1848 by the Waterford & Limerick Railway and finished in 1854 – one of the oldest routes in Ireland, and the first approved by the British parliament. The company later merged with the GS&WR. The Waterford to Rosslare section remains technically in the ownership of the Fishguard & Rosslare Railways & Harbours Company, although services are run by Iarnród Éireann. It remains the only mainline track not owned by the State.

Services have remained infrequent for over a hundred years. In recent times, this has resulted in few passengers. The advent of more efficient railcar units has lent new hope to the line, which with three services daily, has a greater frequency of service than for much of its history. The most notable feature on the line is the Cahir Viaduct, which has twice partly collapsed. The first incident in 1955 involved an out-of-control train crashing through the buffers at Cahir station's loop, and passing through the bare deck of the viaduct. The driver and fireman were killed. The other incident occurred in 2003, with a cement train derailment. Rough or faulty jointed track is thought to have caused a two-axle cement hopper to "bounce" off the track, with the rear of the train pulling through the deck cross-sections. The locomotive and driver came across safely. Services resumed in 2005 with diesel railcars, although the service was dogged by engineering works necessitating frequent bus replacements of the train services.

Cork Suburban

See main Cork Suburban Rail article.

Galway Suburban

At present there are no stops between Athenry to Galway. Early Morning and Late evening Commuter services operate between Athlone and Galway. Commuter services are planned with a target date of 2009. It is likely at least one new station (at Oranmore) will be opened.

Dublin Suburban Rail

See main Dublin Suburban Rail article.

Northern Ireland

Services in Northern Ireland are sparse in comparison to the Republic or other countries. A large railway network was severely curtailed in the 1950s and 1960s (in particular by the Ulster Transport Authority). The current situation includes suburban services to Larne, Newry and Bangor, as well as services to Derry (Londonderry). There is also a branch from Coleraine to Portrush.

Belfast Suburban

See main Belfast Suburban Rail article.

Derry

The service to Derry (Londonderry) has suffered greatly from a lack of funding over recent decades. For some time the threat of closure hung over this route but its future was assured in December 2005.The same month saw the introduction of the new CAF railcars on the line. This is seen as an optimistic sign that the line will be retained and possibly upgraded, rather than wound down.

Other lines

Limerick to
A line exists between Limerick and Foynes which runs through Raheen, Patrickswell, Adare, Ballingrane Junction (Rathkeale) and Askeaton. The line, built by the former Limerick and Foynes Railway from 1856-1858, is the remains of the former North Kerry line which was extended from a junction at Ballingrane to Rathkeale and Newcastle West in 1867. The line was further extended by the Limerick and Kerry Railway in 1880 from Newcastle West to Tralee via Listowel. The line closed completely between Ballingrane and Listowel in November 1975, with the remaining section of the North Kerry between Listowel and Tralee closed completely by June 1978. A junction existed at Patrickswell for the Cork Direct line to Charleville on the Dublin to Cork mainline but this was closed in March 1967 by CIE.
The Foynes line has been effectively closed recently and due to the downgrading of their freight business the seaport is now sending cargo by road, a situation the Port Company would like to reverse. Passenger services on the Foynes section have not occurred since April 4, 1963 and the last freight service was a fertiliser for Athenry on October 30, 2000. Possible freight customers have stated that Irish Rail's intent to pass on the cost of reopening directly via service charges have made freight unviable and thus they have engaged road haulage instead. In December 2001, while not formally closed, the line was designated an engineers siding and despite Irish Rail's holding the line under "Care and maintenance", [the line and station infrastructure are showing serious neglect]. The line was last visited by the weedspray train on 7 May 2002 hauled by GM 141 Class No. 154. The last known movement on the line was on 9 January 2003 when a permanent way inspection car visited the line. In 2004 a track panel was dumped on the line just out side Limerick Check Cabin making it impossible for a train to enter the line.
On April 25, 2005 Limerick County Council passed a resolution making the Limerick-Foynes line a protected structure. This was stayed by the High Court on June 26, 2005 at the request of counsel for Córas Iompair Éireann (parent company of Irish Rail), who claimed the line was still operational and that the decision would mean any upgrade of the line would require planning permission.
In Irish Rail's December 2005 working timetable, locomotives have been banned from travelling beyond Ballingrane due to the condition of Robertstown viaduct near Foynes.
Success with the Ennis and Nenagh commuter routes may lead to a re-opening of part of the line to serve the busy Raheen Industrial Estate and nearby commuter areas but this will require a commitment of funding from government for rolling stock, signalling and station remediation.

External links

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