DART+ (DART Expansion)

Overhead lines provide the lowest operating cost of all the options (diesel, battery, EMU), and they also reduce the cost of rolling stock too, both in terms of purchase and maintenance.

On a system with the kind of frequency that DART has, higher operating costs quickly exceed savings in upfront capital costs, so if you can do overhead lines, you should.

IÉ chose BEMU sets as a risk mitigation. They are well aware of how toxic our planning process can be, so the BEMU stock allows them to deliver extension and service improvements on the coastal line (mainly from stopping a lot of slower diesels sharing track with the DART trains) even if the OHLE expansion gets JR'd to hell and back.

(They have an option to convert these sets back to pure EMUs at mid life, rather than fitting new batteries)

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the 12 minute figure was specifically the charge time needed for a BEMU to continuously run Drogheda-Bray? When I thought about longer charge times (which I admit I don't have a source for and just was a guess based the charging figure which I missremembered as 20 minutes instead of 12) was that if the goal was to avoid building new overhead-lines, Maynooth, M3, and HH services would need longer charge times since they would be operating less under OHLE power compared to Drogheda-Bray services.

I think saying 60 minutes was just excessive of me, but if the 12 minute figure does only refer to Drogheda-Bray, would a 20-30 minute charge time be realistic for the other services?

Catenary and substations for "just electrification" would need planning too; and would be easiest obtained via a RO.

Irish Rail go for conventional planning when it makes sense.

A conventional planning application was made to Louth CC - file 22602. It was discussed, briefly, here at the time.

It went to FI before approval so wasn't completely seamless

These links often stop working really quick:

ePlan - Online Planning Details

At Drogheda the new substation needed permission

Irish Rail however claimed exempted development on the OHLE installation

The Planning and Development Act, 2000, Section 4 says this about exemptions:

(2) (a) The Minister may by regulations provide for any class of development to be exempted development for the purposes of this Act where he or she is of the opinion that—

(i) by reason of the size, nature or limited effect on its surroundings, of development belonging to that class, the carrying out of such development would not offend against principles of proper planning and sustainable development, or

That provision really should be exercised to exempt OHLE installation and trackwork by default, but I think the location and construction of substations shouldn’t be exempted.

Isn't there's talks of using some of the BEMUs down in Cork before they can't out in overhead lines down there.

There is talk about using BEMUs in Cork for CACR where I think it was reccomended to use before OHLE were in place, but also about using BEMUs in Limerick where LSMATS reccomends it as an alternative to OHLEs. However depending on a number of things I could see them using BEMUs in limerick for a few years ahead of proper electrification, mainly because the 2800s only have so many years left, and unless they recieve the 29Ks they will need new sets before any OHLE could be in place.

However I don't believe it is planned to use DART BEMUs in Cork. Like KrisW1001 said there is the potential for different specs being required, but also the Dublin might still need all of the DART sets they recieve. Also transporting the sets to Cork wouldn't be an easy task either, but if it was simply between buying new sets (that weren't otherwise needed) and transporting existing sets, Im sure they could find a decent way of doing it.

Some abbreviations are fairly common knowledge here due to their frequent mentioning but others are a bit less obvious to me. What does CACR and LSMATS stand for and where I can see them previously mentioned in this chat as it would obviously not be expected of everyone reading here to understand what they mean. Cheers and thank you.

A strategy for Galway is sadly caught up in the interminable fight over the bypass. The city will fall behind the others as a result and the West will be left behind once again.

I am trying to pronounce that in a Cork accent.

CACR(Cork Area Commuter Rail) is a plan developed as a part of CMATS(Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy) to develop a DART like service for Cork. The goal is to completely transform rail transport in the Cork Metropolitan Area, and is split into 2 phases. Phase 1 was more or less the "prep phase" and included twin tracking the rest of the network and signalling upgrades. Phase 2 is a proper overhall and includes expanding the network with new stations, electrification, a new depot, and of course a new much larger fleet.

LSMATS(Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy) has a similar plan for Limerick City. However unlike in Cork there hasn't been a "LSCAR" programme developed yet. There are a few reasons for this, but I think it mainly breaks down to there not currently being enough demand and by extension IE having more important projects to focus on. Because if this the LSMATS suggestions might be delivered more independently than they are in Cork. Some of the improvements that will likely be delivered sooner include twin tracking Limerick-Limerick Jcn, Signalling improvements, and the Phase 1 network which includes new Moyross and Ballysimon stations, as well as frequency upgrades (likely through signalling and passing loop).

It is a bit off topic for the thread, but it is closely related to D+ because the delivery of D+ is delivered and especially how well BEMU services perform will likely have a large impact on the future of the rail network and projects.

Nothing public, but there are suggestions that the new design (on the same or a new site) for the depot will be out "soon".

That'll have to go to ABP or possibly a council for conventional planning (where it will almost certainly end up appealed to ABP) - the 29000 maintenance depot in Drogheda was done as conventional planning.

Plus there's also apparently a design for Kilcock due…