I've yet to see a 29000 with the new floors; but have had a few with the new PIS (and old floors).
It's just starting now. The PIS renewal is a separate project which is also ongoing.
It’s been mentioned on here a number of times. They’ve been replacing the floors on the 29s since last winter. Think there may have even have been photos of it posted. There’s a few sets with the new PIS around. They don’t couple with the older sets, so almost always running as 8 pieces. Takes about a month for each new set to be fitted out, so another set each month going into service.
What is PIS?
Passenger Information System I think, the thing that makes announcements and displays the stops (and the myriad of other things Irish Rail use them for such as CCTV messages and “mind the gap”).
The new ones on the Dart spend 90% of the time showing the Dart logo and nothing else. Irish Rail don't do "information".
I am trying to compare capital expenditure on roads with capital expenditure on transit.
It seems that roads capex is far higher?
During 2024, how many live construction is taking place on transit capex?
That seems like much less spending than on new roads?
EDIT: I mean capex on new roads during the motorway building period.
You left out Waterford's new station
There isn't a vast amount of road building actually underway either right now.
Public transport capex spending is to go up hugely in the next few years with Metrolink, Busconnect CBCs and DART+, as well as re-fleeting and whatever comes from FourNorth (that name may have been dropped - the project to look at quad tracking the Northern Line) and the AISRR.
Is there a feasibility study/QBA due on that soon or am I making things up again…?
Is construction actually underway?
Was funded in early 2023 so I'd hope its well underway!
Yes, good.
I worry about a new Govt, though.
If we are serious about modal shift, we need to see investment on a par with the development of the motorway network .
Very much so!! It’s flying up in fact! It’ll be quite the sight to behold when it’s done (early 2026 apparently) but already it’s taking big shape!
Some drone footage from a week ago :)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-dyE7H7YBY
I don’t know how you came to that conclusion. It is totally the opposite. There is only one road scheme under construction nationwide right now, on the N5. If you look at the period to the end of 2030 I’d say public transport spending will easily be five times road spending, if you add up what will we spent on metrolink, Dart, Luas and BusConnects.
Sorry, what I'm really trying to compare is capex on transit now versus capex on new roads during the motorway building period.
What I mean is that given we have the GP in Govt, plus given that tax receipts are strong, I would hope to see capex on new transit infrastructure during 2023/2024/2025 on the same scale as the peak of motorway copnstruction period.
I would like to get data on that.
Is that really true? Just the N5? I am a big fan of investing in transit, but that seems too little.
You need projects through planning before you can build them. Once Metrolink and all the DART+ and BusConnects projects get through planning and into construction then you'll see the Capex rise sharply.
As to the roads, they are in a similar boat. There aren't many ready to go to construction. Next year the M21 and M28 schemes should get underway, but there's nothing else through planning.
Ber in mind that comparing capital expenditure from periods 20 years apart would be meaningless without first adjusting for inflation.
The intercity motorway network cost about 10 billion. Metrolink alone won't be far off that!
BusConnects is going to top 3bn, DART+ 5bn, that is before we even start looking at the AIRR (40bn for the total plan!).
But as Pete said above, inflation makes a difference here.
Though do keep in mind when the Motorways were being built 20 years ago, so were the two Luas line, DART platform lengthening, the ICR and Mark4 fleets were bought and plenty of other "smaller" rail projects were happening. Not enough of course, but it was happening.
There are some minor realignment schemes but it is the only major project underway. There is not a huge pipeline of schemes ready or near ready to go either - M28 and M21 are basically it.
The pipeline has not been kept going in recent years; there are some schemes pootling along in design and one that might have been ready to go but has failed (again) to get planning - the Galway Bypass.
However, some projects can perhaps partially proceed. For instance, the N2 dualling from Ardee to Catleblayney is mostly online, this could proceed in smaller sections. I have the impression that Monaghan County Council wanted to move on this but someone is slowing things down.
There’s huge rail projects mooted in their Rail Infrastructure Plan and given their scale they’d want to be getting underway soon in planning at least t for progress to get underway - seems big on aspiration, short on exact detail and timeframe delivery. Dual tracking and electrification of lines are huge projects not to mention the new lines
Any sign of the new trains arriving yet ?
Nothing can proceed if it doesn't have a design and planning permission.
October. Apparently.
https://www.clare.fm/news/irish-rail-unveils-plans-double-frequency-ennis-routes/
Passing loop at Sixmilebridge, improved journey times, double track from limerick to limerick junction and a rail line to Shannon discussed by Jim Meade (if anyone has a link to the actual presentation it’d be appreciated:)
The passing loop is a good idea and could be instigated relatively quickly. The airport spur will never happen.
The spur is probably more about serving Shannon town than it is about the airport no?
