Rail transport in Ireland


Rail transport in Ireland is provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.
Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin. Northern Ireland has suburban routes from Belfast and two main InterCity lines, to Derry and cross-border to Dublin.
The accompanying map of the current railway network shows lines that are fully operational, carrying freight only traffic and with dotted black lines those which have been "mothballed". Some airports are indicated but none are rail-connected, although Kerry Airport and Belfast City Airport are within walking distance of a railway station. Both the City of Derry Airport and Belfast International are near railway lines but not connected. Ports are marked, although few remain rail-connected. Dublin Port, Larne Harbour, Belview Port and Rosslare Europort are ports that are still connected.
Ireland's only light rail service, named Luas, is in Dublin. No metro lines currently exist in Ireland, but there is a planned MetroLink line which would serve Dublin.
The island's railway network is controlled by three different signalling systems. Throughout the Republic of Ireland, the main signalling system is CAWS, a system developed by WABCO and first introduced in 1984, it is now used on the majority of the network. ETCS Level 1 is also fitted, but not operational on the Great Northern Mainline from Dundalk to Greystones and further rollout is being conducted with plans to fit the majority of the network by 2040.
In Northern Ireland, the railway network is signalled by AWS and TPWS, which requires a signalling changeover at the border near Newry. NIR Class 3000 and IÉ 201 Class are equipped with both systems to allow cross-border services.

History

The first railway in Ireland opened in 1834. At its peak in 1920, Ireland had of railway; now only about half of this remains. A large area around the border has no rail service.
Ireland's first light rail line was opened on 30 June 2004.

Rolling stock

Locomotives

Diesel traction is the sole form of motive power in both the IÉ and NIR networks, apart from the electrified Howth/Malahide-Greystones Dublin Area Rapid Transit suburban route in Dublin. Apart from prototypes and a small number of shunting locomotives, the first major dieselisation programme in CIÉ commenced in the early 1950s with orders for 94 locomotives of two sizes from Metropolitan-Vickers which were delivered from 1955, with a further twelve locomotives from Sulzer in the late 1950s.
Following poor reliability experience with the first generation diesel locomotives, in the 1960s a second dieselisation programme was undertaken with the introduction of sixty-four locomotives in three classes built by General Motors, of the United States. This programme, together with line closures, enabled CIÉ to re-eliminate steam traction in 1963, having previously done so on the CIÉ network prior to taking over its share of the Great Northern Railway. In parallel, NIR acquired three locomotives from Hunslet, of England, for Dublin-Belfast services. The Metropolitan-Vickers locomotives were re-engined by CIÉ in the early 1970s with General Motors engines.
The third generation of diesel traction in Ireland was the acquisition of eighteen locomotives from General Motors of 2475 h.p. output, designated the 071 class, in 1976. This marked a significant improvement in the traction power available to CIÉ and enabled the acceleration of express passenger services. NIR subsequently purchased three similar locomotives for Dublin-Belfast services, which was the first alignment of traction policies by CIÉ and NIR.
A fourth generation of diesels took the form of thirty-four locomotives, again from General Motors, which arrived in the early 1990s. This was a joint order by IÉ and NIR, with thirty-two locomotives for the former and two for the latter. They were again supplied by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. IÉ designated their locomotives the GM 201 class; numbered 201 to 234. These locomotives are the most powerful diesels to run in Ireland, and are of 3200 horsepower, which enabled further acceleration of express services. The NIR locomotives, although shipped in NIR livery, were repainted in 'Enterprise' livery, as were six of the IÉ locomotives.
The 071 class are now used on freight services. NIR's three similar locomotives are numbered 111, 112 and 113. There is seldom more than one of these serviceable at a time.

Multiple units

NIR and IÉ both run suburban services using diesel multiple units – these are termed railcars in Ireland.

Railcars in operation

IÉ DMUs operate all InterCity services apart from Dublin to Cork and some Dublin to Belfast services

Iarnród Éireann 22000 class InterCity railcars

There are 234 22000 Class carriages in total, being formed into the following sets:
  • Ten 5-car sets – Each set includes a 1st Class Carriage and a Dining Carriage. They are used on key InterCity services between Dublin and Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Westport and Tralee.
  • Twenty-five 4-car sets – These mostly operate on their own or with a 3-car unit. They serve lesser-used InterCity services and most Dublin to Sligo and Rosslare services.
  • Twenty-eight 3-car sets – These mostly operate in pairs. They serve lesser-used InterCity services and many Dublin Commuter services.
Features of the InterCity railcar fleet include:
  • Automatic PA and information display systems
  • Electronic seat reservation displays for web bookings
  • Fully air-conditioned
  • Internal CCTV system
  • Sleek carriage design
  • Advanced safety features throughout
The primary DMU classes in operation include the 22000, 29000, 2800, 2600, 3000, and 4000 series.

Iarnród Éireann 29000 class Commuter railcars

Introduced between 2002 and 2005, the 29000 Class consists of 29 four-car sets built by CAF. These units primarily operate on suburban routes in the Greater Dublin area, offering a seating capacity of 185 per set.

Iarnród Éireann 2800 class railcars

The 2800 Class includes 10 two-car sets constructed by Tokyu Car Corporation in 2000. Initially deployed on regional services, these DMUs have been reassigned to various routes based on operational requirements, each set providing seating for 85 passengers.

Iarnród Éireann 2600 class railcars

Built by Tokyu Car Corporation and introduced in 1993, the 2600 Class comprises 17 two-car sets. These units were the first modern DMUs purchased for the network and were initially used on suburban services.

NI Railways 3000 class railcars

The 3000 Class DMUs, manufactured by CAF, were introduced between 2004 and 2005. This fleet consists of 23 three-car sets, each with a seating capacity of approximately 212 passengers.

NI Railways 4000 class railcars

The 4000 Class DMUs, also built by CAF, entered service between 2011 and 2012. The fleet comprises 20 sets, configured into both three-car and six-car formations. Each three-car set offers seating for 216 passengers, while six-car sets accommodate up to 442 passengers. These units feature enhanced seating capacity and fuel economy compared to earlier models. In 2018, an additional 21 vehicles were ordered to extend train lengths, facilitating longer formations and increased capacity.

Coaching stock

Mark 4 carriages

's flagship InterCity fleet are the Mark 4.
Built by CAF of Spain in 2004–2005 they are formed into 8-car push-pull sets.
Each set contains :
  • GM 201 class locomotive
  • 5 Standard class carriages
  • 1 restaurant carriage
  • 1 'Citygold' carriage
  • Generator Control Car
The Mark 4 trains have blue tinted windows, electronic route maps showing train progress, electronic seat reservation displays and power points for laptops, or recharging tablets, MP3 players or mobile phones. Citygold customers on this fleet have the added features of adjustable seating, greater room and comfort and in-seat audio entertainment. They are used exclusively on the Dublin to Cork route; operating an hourly service each way.
The Mark 4 trains are capable of speeds of up to, but are limited to a maximum speed of, due to the lines they run on and the locomotives that pull them.

Enterprise services

The Dublin to Belfast 'Enterprise' service is operated jointly by IÉ and NIR with rolling stock from De Dietrich, commissioned in 1997. Four Mark 3 Generator vans were introduced in September 2012. Until then, 201 Class locomotives were required to supply head-end power for heating and lighting. Since late 2024, with a timetable change increasing services up to every hour on Enterprise, Translink Class 3000 and Irish Rail 22000 Class trains have also began running on the Enterprise.
File:Iarnrod Eireann Class 201.jpg|thumb|250px|right|One of the 34 GM locomotives bought in the 1990s, IÉ locomotive 215 "River Avonmore – An Abhainn Mhór", sits at Grand Canal Dock DART station.

Previous stock

NIR also had a number of refurbished Class 488 carriages acquired from the Gatwick Express service and converted to run on the Irish gauge. These were generally referred to as 'the Gatwicks'. They were in use from 2001 until June 2009.

Passenger services

Below is a list of all passenger routes on the island of Ireland. Please note the following when examining routes:
  1. Services below usually, but not necessarily always, involve a change of trains. Changing points are shown in bold type.
  2. Services at different times of day will serve a different subset of the stations shown below. The "stations served" lists all possible stops for any train on a given route. As an example, some services to Limerick do not involve a change at Limerick Junction, and some services to Cork may stop at Limerick Junction, Charleville and Mallow only.

    Republic of Ireland InterCity routes