Ireland’s Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, has secured government approval for the DART+ South West rail project, which will extend DART trains from Dublin’s city centre to Hazelhatch and Celbridge.
Following this approval, a planning application for the project, which includes 20 kilometres of new electrified rail infrastructure, will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála by the end of March.
Subject to planning permission and final funding arrangements, construction works are expected to commence in 2025, leading to completion by the end of the decade.
A fast, high-frequency and electrified rail service will then operate along the route, serving Islandbridge, Park West and Cherry Orchard, Clondalkin, Adamstown, and Celbridge and Hazelhatch.
“The government’s approval of DART+ South West today highlights our commitment to invest in high-quality public transport and decarbonise Ireland’s transport system. This rail project will transform the lives of people living in communities along the route, giving them a fast, reliable and frequent train service into Dublin. It also means that we can move ahead with good, transport led planning, facilitating vital affordable new housing along the route.”
Upon completion, train services on this route will at least double in frequency, enabling around 20,000 passengers to travel to and from Dublin city each way per hour, compared to around 5,000 at present.
The project will also construct a new station at Heuston West and will quadruple the amount of rail track between Park West and Heuston.
In addition, the work includes the electrification of the Phoenix Park Tunnel along with the wider route.
This major public transport project is part of a significant expansion of DART services taking place in the Greater Dublin Area, which will treble the current network from 53 kilometres to 150 kilometres.
With this expansion, the number of people living within 1 kilometre of a DART station will increase from about 250,000 at present to 600,000 in the future.
