DART+ (DART Expansion)

When Metrolink opens, Glasnevin will be a much better place to stop than Drumcondra. Both would be overkill. Anyone wanting to get off at Drumcondra can change to a DART stopping there at an earlier station.

Mullingar to Connolly in 40 minutes would be incredible. :-)

Methinks you mean Maynooth to Connolly. That journey takes 34-36 mins as it is with one stop.

The DMU running empty back to Connolly each night takes 65 minutes with nothing against it, 33 of which are between Mullingar and Maynooth, so I think you're pushing things a bit with a 40 minute claim for that entire journey.

I’m not referring to that path. I’ll pull out the log for the journey I’m referring to. It’s not from the WTT.

Working timetable gives details of out of service train paths.

You appear to be in the minority.

The daily users of the line want more frequency and are happy for the trade off.

What Irish Rail did even 10 years ago let alone 40 is not that relevant to today.

Could be the track. Videos I've seen of trains going through suggest that the track isn't very flat.

The Railway Order drawings for DART+ SW show that IÉ intends to lay completely new track through the tunnel, as well as adding the overhead electric lines.

In general Irish Rail trains amble along at best. They've been slowed down so much over the years. The DART itself was over 10 minutes faster Howth to Bray. They crawl into the platforms. Electric trains should move much faster than the DART. Just look at Germany or the Netherlands to see how they drive their electric trains on stopping suburban services.

I must dig out some of my old timetables. From memory, the old 08:00 to Sligo was given 22 minutes to Maynooth and something like 30 minutes Maynooth to Mullingar. Not 40 minutes, but I recall under the hour.

On a Friday, the 17:05 was first stop Longford - always heaving full too as there were only 3 regular services to Sligo and one additional 15:55 Friday only.

the southside Dart is ridiculously slow in places.

You do also have extra stops on the DART since it opened. Every stop adds at least 2 mins to the journey time and there are more conflicts at Connolly too with additional Maynooth and PPT services that don’t help.

how much of this slow speed would be caused by trying to sync with level crossings?

edit:- ot but anyone else experiencing problems with auto correct when typing replies on boards.

i'm not in the minority at all.
1 article surveying a couple of people who we don't know exactly what they were told or asked or how they were asked is meaningless.
you can ask a question multiple ways and get different answers, it's a well known tactic for surveying purposes, nothing bad or wrong in it as it can give interesting perspectives in relation to the likes of political views ETC.
a tiny minority of daily users are happy for what is claimed to be a trade off, a trade off which if it was genuinely that, is unnecessary.

in exchange for something that ultimately is unlikely to be delivered dispite the claims, something they could be given the whole way instead.
what irish rail did 10 or 40 years ago is very relevant.

so you haven't provided any actual valid point here which begs the question as to why you bothered quoting me given i left the thread due to the fact i have already been on this roundabout plenty of times before, with the same arguments and i've better things to do.

Metrolink won't open for nearly 10 years. Even if they were to resurrect the plan to upgrade the green line to Sandyford to metro standard, that's probably another 10 years. Luas to Bray is probably at least 15 years away now, for it to be upgraded to Metro as well you could be talking 30 years. We might as well be discussing the colonisation of Mars.

maybe then its will force them to quad track on stilts.

Distance between stations makes a big difference too. Munich S-Bahn does its central tunnelled segment (Hauptbahnhof to Ostbahnhof) at a blistering 26 km/h average: 9 minutes to travel 4km, with four intermediate stops. Stops are only around 750 m apart here, making the S-Bahn more like a metro service: the effect this has on straight-through travellers is one reason why a second, express, S-Bahn tunnel is being built. (Metrolink can have shorter inter-stop distances without killing the journey times because its smaller trains don't need to stay standing on the platform for as long)

DART has most stations over 1km apart. Connolly and Tara are 860 m apart, but Tara to Pearse is only 580 m. Even the fastest trains have no time to get up to speed and back down in that distance.

DART has most stations over 1km apart. Connolly and Tara are 860 m apart, but Tara to Pearse is only 580 m. Even the fastest trains have no time to get up to speed and back down in that distance

Just to add, the track condition between Connolly and Pearse is poor. Lots of bounce in the rails as the sleepers are moving, rails not welded and some of the sleepers are wood. You can see some of the ties are broken too. The vibration and loudness of the banging as trains pass by is quite severe.

I'm guessing that portion of the line, is to busy and to awkward to fix up.

Not like the line is running 24/7 either.

The Loop Line from Connolly to Pearse is virtually all a bridge, and I presume wooden sleepers have something to do with weight and perhaps lessen the transmission of shocks to the structure from passing trains. As far as I am aware, it's not all that long since the track was renewed.

The line speed is the same as it always was, 30 mph (50 kph), and the distance between stations is so short that there is very little to gain from raising it. CWR is not a big issue in this hase (in my opinion), apart from lessening shocks as trains pass over rail joints.

True
I wonder does the confined space of the bridge mean its more difficult to work in?

That makes sense actually. I doubt it's weight given the trains pass over it, but its probably more to do with the absolute depth the sleeper can go into the ballast. IE they cannot dig into the top of the bridge to lay most ballast, and they can't just lay more ballast as the track height would be to high for the platforms.

In any case it's moving a lot. When the tracks move it adds wear and tear or the trains and pounds the rails. I suppose if it was an easy fix it would have been done. but given the trains move slow enough across it, it's probably low down on the list of things to do.

So that tender has been out couple of years now.
It's been discussed on other threads. The spec for 8 trains is VERY Niche.

Some of the guys here think they'd use something like a 222 that's similar to UK Stock, I personally don't think that'll work given the spec.

No one seems to be going for the tender (Bigger better contracts in mainland EU I suppose)

Here's the tender:
https://www.etenders.gov.ie/epps/cft/prepareViewCfTWS.do?resourceId=2440344

This is a call to competition by IARNROD EIREANN (IE) and NORTHERN IRELAND RAILWAYS COMPANY LIMITED (NI Railways) for the establishment of an 8 Year, Single Party Framework Agreement for the procurement of new Enterprise vehicles (Enterprise Fleet Replacement Agreement) required for the replacement of the existing Enterprise Fleet (the Contract). Along with procurement of the rolling stock, the scope of the procurement process will also include a maintenance contract in respect of technical support services and spares supply in relation to the new rolling stock (Maintenance Contract). IE and NI Railways (the Contracting Entity) now wish to initially procure 8 new trainsets up to a maximum of 200m in length to operate an hourly service between Dublin and Belfast. It is planned to have the entire new fleet in service in 2028 to 2029 and to deliver the end to end journey sub 2 hours or better on the existing infrastructure. Initial traction power will be Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Battery Electric (using the existing 1.5 kV DC OHLE) with the train designed to transition to a net zero carbon operation during its life by the removal of the diesel power generation for replacement with dual OHLE power supply equipment. The trains will operate on 1600mm track gauge, will operate in full length formation of a maximum of 200m in length and will be required to meet other gauging requirements of the Irish Rail - NI Railways network.