DART+ (DART Expansion)

The infrastructure is already in place, and in use, to allow trains from Maynooth to reverse at Clonsilla, for M3 Parkway.

One of the reports on the Kilcock depot states that “the remainder of the fleet will be stabled at various locations across the network.”

The depot is being designed to take 32 trains. There will be 75 trains once DART+ is finished (and even more if the 8500s are retained). Where will the remaining 43 trains go?

Drogheda can take around 11 trains, Fairview could take 12, Spencer Dock could take 4, Bray could take 7, M3 Parkway 4, but I don’t know where else could take any?

Surely there are plans for an additional stabling yard or two somewhere on the network?

Maynooth has sidings, beyond the long siding that will become part of the dual tracking. Could probably stable a 10 car. Can't get the RO drawings list on the website to load to see if they'll be electrified.

No electrification inside Inchicore so can't be used for stabling

Major need currently for space to park the avalanche of DART+ fleet which is about to rain down on them

Between Bray and Fairview already takes 144 carriages so equivalent of 36 units, and there is space to take up to 43

The place which hasn't been mentioned here in relation to train storage, and the place with the greatest strategic need, is Hazelhatch. Apart from Heuston, it is isolated from the other DART storage locations.

The line from HH into Heuston is going to be quad-tracked so huge capacity, I don't understand why they'd risk operational issues by regularly moving stock from/to other lines. Even storing trains to Heuston seems to have the potential for unnecessary issues given how busy it is/will be and it is constrained enough already.

I have thought for a long time that Hazelhatch was the logical place for overnight stabling and basic cleaning of D+SW trains. It'll be at the end of a busy line and has plenty of space. Maybe they'll do something there but I haven't yet seen any indication that they will.

All scrap trains cleared from the lined section. Tracks already lifted, and works being completed to make space for storage of the new trains.

All the 8200 and 2700 are scrapped an odd one remains but are not at Inchicore, the 141/181 are/will be moved to Connolly shed

In a bit of a positive mindset this morning and was just thinking about the electrification and double track extension to Kilcock, specifically the part of the track that they’re realigning more inland from the canal to avoid a flood plan.

This will be the first piece of double track railway we’ve built from scratch in quite some time (is it possible nearly a century?), but it will also be the first time ever that we have built a stretch of brand new railway and electrified it from the get go!

Now it is a bit embarrassing that it’ll be nearly 2030 by the time we as a nation are building are very first stretch of new double track electrified (main line - not counting Luas…) railway, even moreso that it’s technically only a few hundred metres of new track… but I suppose it’s a positive step in the right direction.

Navan is only a few years down the line after that, and beyond that, yes it might be a while until we get new electrified railway in the likes of the Kildare bypass or the fast line to Drogheda, but it is a small little milestone for us in some way!

I think they mean an entirely new alignment, as Cork Midleton is widening an existing single track railway.

The only entirely new alignment in ~100 years otherwise is the Lavistown Curve, excepting private freight sidings that have been built (and mostly gone since anyway); and it's single track.

Yes, that’s exactly what I meant, brand new alignment, not including doubling of existing track.

In retrospect I suppose we had Clonsilla - M3 a while ago but again while that was double track, it was an old alignment being relaid whereas this will be the first new doubled section in the country in ages, and the first new electrified doubled section ever!

Interesting about Lavistown being the only one in the last c. 100 years that’s genuinely crazy that we haven’t built anything new since then.

Then again we have so much closed railways that it does make more sense to relay on old alignment then create a new one, but still… interesting

141s going to Connolly for use as spares. 2700 and 8200 scrapped, but down the country at the moment. Other older stock moved closer to the RPSI shed at Inchicore, out of the way.