Alstom and Irish Rail have unveiled a 1:1 scale mock-up carriage for DART+ to the Irish public.
The event took place at Irish Rail’s Inchicore works in Dublin in the presence of Irish Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan TD and Irish Rail’s Chief Executive Jim Meade as well as Alstom UK & Ireland MD Nick Crossfield and Alstom Ireland MD Piers Wood.
The mock-up carriage is based on Alstom’s X’trapolis commuter train platform. The purpose of this mock-up is to give an idea of what the new DART+ trains will look like once in passenger service.
Alstom has a ten-year framework agreement with Irish Rail for up to 750 new X’trapolis rail cars for Ireland’s DART network. Currently, there are firm orders for 37 five-car trains coupled with a 15-year support services contract.
31 of the trains on order are battery-electric multiple units, the remaining six are electric multiple units.
“We are delighted to be able to show Irish Rail and the Irish public their new DART+ train in the flesh. The trains demonstrate Irish Rail's intention to move quickly to decarbonise the commuter network in Greater Dublin, Ireland's most populous suburban area. As a global leader in innovation and provider of green mobility solutions, Alstom is there to help Ireland bring transformative change to its citizens through sustainable rail transport.”
