Cross-border review of rail network officially launched

Think you might get one or two noise complaints if Baldonnel is made into a civil airport for Dublin.

You should take a quick look at the map before posting this nonsense.

Celbridge is very nearby...

I don't think it would work anyway due to proximity to Dublin Airport and angle of runway - would surely create a nightmare for air traffic control. Though I'm no air traffic control expert..

Tens of thousands of houses in the noise footprint.

Conflict with Dublin Airport flight paths.

Mountains nearby constraining available flight paths still further.

Site is far too small.

Transport links poor (yes, even with the N7)

Most importantly of all - we already have a perfectly good airport with two runways, room to expand and a metro on the way. The passenger cap in Dublin is a nonsense even with "only" the existing two terminals - it can handle far more.

Finally - who would pay for this folly?

Loading gauge is too small. There are multiple bridges over the line before it even leaves County Dublin

The tender requires a bi-mode train, 1500V DC and diesel, with option of conversion to dual-voltage electric operation during its operating lifetime…

The thing about the Mk4 carriages is that while they're only mid life, the locomotives that haul them are 10 years older, so there will come a point where the decision has to be made for new, electric, locomotives, or (as I think is more likely) retiring the carriages and moving to multiple units for passenger services.

I wonder if the 22000s DMUs currently used for Intercity services could be electrified, as the newest sets should still have another 20 years ahead of them, while I hope mainline electrification would be well underway in 10.

Personally I don't think Alstom will be chosen for the Enterprise tender. The Alstom stock is perfectly good and I have very high hopes for the new 80/90Ks, especially since I am hoping they might also get picked for CACR. But when it comes to their regional or IC options, I don't think it is as well suited to both our needs and our loading gauge. Their two options either appear to be fully electric which we aren't prepared for, or they haven't made a model with a loading gauge like ours, which could make new units more expensive.

I think it's more likely either a Stadler like bk mentions, or my personal hope CAF will be selected. They both make models for the UK that could with minimal modification be made for us, in addition to having tri-mode options which I don't believe Alstom has. Supposedly the selection for the Enterprise sets has been narrowed down to two companies for a while, but I only heard that here in passing, and I have not heard any updates in months.

Good points. I was thinking about this afterwards, and you’re right that it’s probably not worth changing the power source, but I don’t think this is going to be a big problem. It would be far cheaper to convert them to bio fuel (bio-gas or, easier, bio-diesel) and you can say they’re providing a “decarbonised” service. The electrification programme will cover over 90% of all passenger kilometres travelled on the country’s rail network, so the impact of still running combustion trains on the remainder would not be that big.

Apologies this could be a very stupid question, but is there any scope to bring some of this rolling stock work into Ireland? I appreciate that this is very skilled work but the costs are reasonably high, and it seems like the duration of work is reasonably long. I'm not for a minute suggesting that the companies would relocate completely to Ireland but can any of the work be brought here at all?

It just strikes me that we're a country with a shortage of rail infrastructure and a reasonable political consensus that we'll acquire more, so could some portion of the money stay within the country, using a guaranteed ongoing stream of projects or long-term (10 year?) contract?

That might simply not be possible, but why wouldn't train building be like other automotive/aeronautical industries, with multiple suppliers in multiple countries, providing one end-product?

That's a shame. And it's not like - for instance - car manufacturing where some pieces of production are outsourced?

that timeline does sound quite possible to be honest.

the 22000s will have been worked very hard on the heuston suburban with the stop start nature so they will probably have a shorter life span i feel so 2040 with them being at 33 years while it is generally on the low side could be a possibility.

like always though time will tell.