The introduction of new trains to ease overcrowding on the Dublin commuter lines under the Government’s DART+ programme is to be delayed until the second quarter of 2027.
Irish Rail has confirmed a further delay in the deployment of new battery electric Dart trains, which were originally scheduled to go into operation on the Drogheda route in 2025.
The delay centres around a problem with the trains’ batteries, meaning the electric train service to Drogheda will not now take place until April 2027, at best.
The delay will also have a knock-on effect on operations across the network, as the redeployment of older trains on the Drogheda service, which were to be repurposed on intercity and other commuter routes, will also be delayed.
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Incoming chief executive of Irish Rail Mary Considine confirmed the delay at a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport on Wednesday.
Ms Considine told TDs and Senators the cause of the delay was a problem with “our supplier’s supplier”, which meant the new trains which have been under testing on the rail network will not be operational on the Drogheda route until the second quarter of2027.
The new battery electric fleet is essential to Irish Rail’s DART+ programme. This is a €2 billion investment under Project Ireland 2040, which is set to double the capacity and treble the electrification of the Greater Dublin Area network.
The new Dart fleet is also essential to Irish Rail’s plans to increase the number of passenger journeys from an estimated 55 million this year to 180 million a year when the company’s various expansion plans across the network are in place.
The first order of new Dart trains was announced in December 2021, comprising of 19 five carriage trains.
Irish Rail said at the time the trains would “enter passenger service from mid-2025”. That commitment remained on the Irish Rail website on Wednesday, despite the former chief executive Jim Meade acknowledging first that the date for deployment of the trains would be the end of 2025 and later by early 2026. T
he latest delay means the electric trains will not start to go into use on the Drogheda route until at least April 2027.
It is not clear if the new trains can be used without batteries between Greystones and Malahide or Howth, as they are capable of running on overhead wires as well as battery packs. Irish Rail has been contacted for comment.
Rail Users Ireland which has monitored the order for new trains, said news of the delay was “beyond bad”.
In addition to the 2021 order for 19 five carriage trains, Irish Rail placed a follow up order for 18 five carriage trains in December 2022. They were supposed “to enter passenger service from 2026 onwards” according to the company’s website.
Irish Rail on Wednesday said the introduction of the first phase of additional capacity under the DART+ programme would be delayed as part of a revised timeline.
The company, in a statement, linked the delays in introducing the new fleet to problems experienced by the manufacturer of battery packs to be used on the trains.
It said these packs for the new battery/electric trains have had to be re-designed.
“The battery pack is supplied to (train manufacturer) Alstom by a French company OP Mobility who are a major supplier to the automotive industry.
“While these battery packs have been in use for almost one year during testing with no major issues or concerns, OP Mobility are currently also building train and tram traction battery systems for Alstom and Siemens across at least five international projects including projects in Australia and New Zealand.
“The battery proposed for the Australia tram project is smaller than the battery used on the DART+ BEMU train but is otherwise technically the same. During testing on the Australia tram project, this battery did not pass the required tests and needed some redesign. Arising from their experience on the Australia tram project, Alstom and OP Mobility advised us of the requirement to redesign the DART+ battery-electric train battery design arrangements in order to improve the resilience of the battery packs.”
The company said while this redesign is now complete, formal certification tests for the DART+ battery-electric battery must be repeated.
The northern commuter line serves the growing population centres of Fingal in north Dublin and Drogheda. Existing trains at peak times are frequently filled to capacity with passengers complaining of significant overcrowding.
Late last month, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien told the Dáil the first order for the purchase of 95 additional DART carriages, which comprise 65 battery-electric carriages and 30 electric carriages, had started arriving and the carriages were currently undergoing certification and safety testing.
“It is intended that the new battery-electric sets will be initially deployed on the Northern Commuter Line serving Dublin to/from Drogheda, providing a boost to commuters on that line,” he said at the time.
