Dublin Suburban Rail



The Dublin Suburban Rail (Iarnród Bruachbhailteach Baile Átha Cliath) network, (now branded DART/Commuter), is a railway network that serves the city of Dublin, Ireland, most of the Greater Dublin Area and outlying towns. The system is made up of five lines:


 * Northern Commuter - Dublin Pearse to Dundalk (with one early morning weekday service to Newry).
 * South Eastern Commuter - Dublin Connolly to Gorey.
 * South Western Commuter - Dublin Heuston to Portlaoise.
 * Western Commuter - Dublin Pearse / Docklands to Longford.
 * Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) - Greystones to Howth/Malahide.

Apart from the service to Newry, the lines are owned and operated by Iarnród Éireann. The Luas (light rail) system is not part of this network and is not operated by Iarnród Éireann. As of October 2006 only the Luas Red Line between Connolly and Heuston stations is featured on DART network maps.

Service frequency
Services run from 05:30 to 00:42 from Monday to Saturday and 08:25 to 00:42 on Sunday. However, frequency varies by line, with the DART service being more frequent (every 15 minutes off peak, every few minutes peak) and services to outer stations being less frequent (maybe one every hour off peak). Less trains run on Sunday than any other day, and special timetables may be made for public holidays. There are no services on Christmas Day.

Rolling stock
As of 2006, the majority of rolling stock used on the non-DART services are IE 2900 Class diesel multiple units, with IE 2600 Class and IE 2800 Class DMUs also in use for some services. The Class 2900 DMUs are fitted with interior LEDs and automated information systems. CIE 8100 Class electric multiple units form the backbone of the DART services, with IE 8200 Class and IE 8500 Class (and its variations) also in use. Locomotive hauled services are no longer generally used on DART/Commuter services, although these (typically British Railways Mark 1 trains, the "Cravens") were a feature before the delivery of the Class 2800 DMUs in the early 2000s (decade). Currently Commuter services are operated by 2600, 2800, 29000 and 22000 class (note services on Kildare commuter are now operated by 22000 class intercity railcars)

Northern Commuter
Fleet: 29000, 2800 class dmus.
 * Stations served - Dublin Pearse, Tara Street, Dublin Connolly, Howth Junction, Clongriffin, Portmarnock, Malahide, Donabate, Rush and Lusk, Skerries, Balbriggan, Gormanston, Laytown, Drogheda, Dundalk.

Dunleer and/or Dundalk South have been mooted as possible additional stations. The track is shared with the Dublin-Belfast Enterprise service, and DART services as far as Malahide. The bridge at Drogheda is single track which may hinder high frequency services in the long term. The halt at Mosney is no longer used due to the closure of the holiday camp there.

Transport 21 envisages electrification as far as Drogheda by 2015, with the stations between Balbriggan and Malahide incorporated into a new DART service between Balbriggan and Hazelhatch (see below).

South Eastern Commuter
Fleet 22000 class dmu
 * Stations served - Dublin Connolly, Tara Street, Dublin Pearse, Lansdowne Road, Sydney Parade, Blackrock, Dún Laoghaire, Bray Daly, Greystones, Kilcoole, Wicklow, Rathdrum, Arklow, Gorey.

The services share track with the mainline service to Rosslare and the DART service as far as Greystones. The line is single track from Bray onwards. This is the least frequent DART/Commuter service, with only a handful of trains daily. Some services will only travel as far as Arklow.

South Western Commuter
Sometimes called the Kildare Suburban or Kildare Commuter line. Previously known as the Arrow service.

Fleet: 22000 class dmu.


 * Stations served - Dublin Heuston, Cherry Orchard & Parkwest, Clondalkin & Fonthill, Adamstown, Hazelhatch & Celbridge, Sallins & Naas, Newbridge, Kildare.

This service is the newest Dublin DART/Commuter line. It was launched in 1994 as the Arrow service, shortly after the delivery of the then Arrow-branded Class 2600 railcars. Cherry Orchard, Clondalkin, Hazelhatch and Celbridge and Sallins and Naas stations were opened on the same day, although stations had previously existed on some of these sites. Newbridge station had previously been an InterCity station, though Commuter trains now mainly serve it. The stations on the line were at the time of launch all "Arrow" branded also, though this branding has now been removed. This line does not connect directly with the rest of the network, being operated out of Dublin Heuston, however it is connected by the Luas and Dublin Bus Route 90.

A station used only occasionally for "special" trains also exists at the Curragh. The station at Cherry Orchard was relocated to Cherry Orchard & Parkwest in July 2008 and Clondalkin was located further west as Clondalkin & Fonthill on the Fonthill Road in October 2008. This work is part of the Kildare Route Project, which includes quadruple-tracking the line between Le Fanu Road (east of the present Cherry Orchard station) to just beyond Hazelhatch. There will also be another new station built between Adamstown and Clondalkin at Kishoge, which will be located adjacent to the Lucan Outer Ring Road.

A special development zone (SDZ) called Adamstown is currently under construction. This borders an area from west Lucan to the Kildare rail line and is approx. 16 km from Dublin. It is expected to have 20,000 inhabitants by the time it is completed. A new station opened on 10 April 2007, built and paid for by the developers.

Transport 21 envisages electrification as far as Hazelhatch by 2015. Under CIÉ's Interconnector project, upon electrification of this line and opening of the Interconnector, the existing Kildare line service, as far as Hazelhatch & Celbridge would be replaced by one of two DART lines, running via the Interconnector from Hazelhatch to Balbriggan/Howth. The service would also be directly connected to the rest of the DART/Commuter network at Dublin Pearse.

Western Commuter
Fleet: 29000 and 22000 class dmus.
 * Stations served - City branch: Dublin Pearse, Tara Street, Dublin Connolly, Drumcondra, Broombridge, Ashtown, Navan Road Parkway, Castleknock, Coolmine, Clonsilla, Leixlip Confey, Leixlip Louisa Bridge, Maynooth, then continuing onto Kilcock, Enfield, Mullingar, Edgeworthstown and Longford.

Docklands branch: Docklands, Broombridge, Ashtown, Navan Road Parkway, Castleknock, Coolmine, Clonsilla, Hansfield, Dunboyne, and M3 Parkway.

This service had been operated as a limited service from November 1981 until 1990, serving Ashtown (opened January 1982), Clonsilla, Leixlip (now Leixlip Louisa Bridge) and Maynooth. In 1990, new stations were opened at Broombridge, Castleknock, Coolmine and Leixlip Confey. Another station at Drumcondra was re-opened in March 1998. Most of the station buildings on this line were a mixture of small block built booking offices and converted steel cabins and there was still a limited service owing to the single track between Clonsilla and Maynooth.

In 2001 a major upgrade project took place, with the upgrading of the line between Clonsilla and Maynooth to double track, the entire line being upgraded to continuous welded rail, the building of permanent station buildings at all stations except Broombridge, the replacement of the semaphore signalling with computerised traffic control, and the provision of real time information displays at stations (these however, apart from at Drumcondra, were not in use until February 2012).

From 12 March 2007, several additional weekday services operate on the Maynooth line. However these only operated from Clonsilla, serving the existing stations to Broombridge, and then terminate at the new Docklands railway station. These did not serve either Drumcondra or the central Dublin stations, or the stations beyond Clonsilla.

On 3 September 2010 the first trains ran from Docklands onto the Dunboyne branch serving Dunboyne and M3 parkway. In June 2013 another station opened on this branch called Hansfield railway station serving Ongar and Clonee areas. It is planned that these services will run eventually to Navan, becoming the proposed '''Meath Commuter

On 21 January 2008, Phoenix Park railway station opened. This station is located beside the N3 road in Ashtown, and despite its name is not located in the Phoenix Park, but has rather been built to serve the Phoenix Park Racecourse Apartments constructed on grounds of the former racecourse adjacent to the park. To avoid confusion, this station has since been renamed Navan Road Parkway

Transport 21 envisaged electrification as far as Maynooth. Under CIÉ's Interconnector project, upon electrification of this line and opening of the Interconnector, the existing Maynooth line service would be replaced by one of two DART lines, running from Maynooth to Bray.

Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART)
See separate Dublin Area Rapid Transit article.