The residents of Laytown, Bettystown and Gormanstown in county Meath will benefit from the extension of the DART as plans have been lodged this week.
Although it maybe some years away it will see an expansion of services that will also incorporate upgrading of new battery electric DART and train services.
The extension of the DART to Drogheda, serving expanding communities along the Coast from Dublin, took a significant step forward today when Iarnród Éireann lodged a Railway Order application with An Bord Pleanála to seek permission to extend the electrified DART network from Malahide to Drogheda MacBride Station.
The project will significantly increase the peak hourly capacity and frequency on the Northern route between Dublin city and Malahide, Howth and Drogheda, with the section between Malahide and Drogheda (as part of the service between Dublin city and Drogheda) nearly doubling capacity from about 4,800 to 8,800 passengers at peak hour/direction when complete.
The benefits will be felt even sooner. In advance of the construction of DART+ Coastal North, commuters on this route will benefit from new battery electric DART+ trains, which will run on electricity under wires from the city centre to Malahide and continue under battery power to Drogheda. Construction of charging facilities at Drogheda is already underway. The first of these new trains will arrive in Ireland this Autumn and after a period of testing and commissioning, these vehicles will begin entering service on the Drogheda route in early 2026.
The statutory public consultation period for DART+ Coastal North will commence on 19th July until 20th September 2024, a period of eight weeks.
Funded by the Department of Transport through the National Transport Authority, under Project Ireland 2040, DART+ Coastal North will provide a greatly enhanced and more sustainable transport option for new and existing communities in Drogheda, East Meath and North County Dublin. This will be achieved through infrastructure works and electrification, resulting in higher frequencies and new trains.
Minister for Transport Éamon Ryan TD said: “Iarnród Éireann’s lodgement of a Railway Order Application today further cements our commitment to develop a high-quality, sustainable public transport system in Ireland, providing more and more people with access to a far better alternative to sitting in traffic.”
Potentially directly impacted landowners and occupiers within the lands referenced in the Railway Order Application were contacted directly in advance of the lodgement of the order on 12th July. The Railway Order application website www.dartcoastalnorthrailwayorder.ie is live from today and features all of the Railway Order documents. Hard copies of the documents will be available to view at the locations listed below.
The website also gives details of how to obtain hard and soft copies of all or some aspects of the Railway Order documentation. Members of the public, prescribed bodies and directly impacted landowners and occupiers are welcome to make submissions from 19th July to 20th September.
Subject to planning permission and funding arrangements, construction works on the route could commence later this decade, taking circa three years to complete.
