DART+ (DART Expansion)

marno21

I wasn't around here when this was ploughing along the last time. What was the plan to deal with the large volume of traffic on the Northern Line? Surely 2 tracks will be pushed to the limit between DARTs commuters and Enterprise services ?

Dats me

marno21 wrote: »

I wasn't around here when this was ploughing along the last time. What was the plan to deal with the large volume of traffic on the Northern Line? Surely 2 tracks will be pushed to the limit between DARTs commuters and Enterprise services ?

I was looking at the NTA's GDA 2035 strategy and funnily enough 4 tracking the Northern Line isn't included. In their public consultation report the explicitly say it's not.

I think that's weird, but there's been considerable discussion about how difficult adding tracks would be.

Maybe having Dundalk trains terminate at Drogheda and change to DARTs? But considering that doesn't happen at Bray or Dun Laoighre I can't see it

Nidgeweasel

Dats me wrote: »

I think he meant could a DART trains post DU go Heuston->Christchurch->SSG->Pearse->Docklands then instead of using Northern Line go Drumcondra->Whitworth etc and back to Hueston through PPT creating a circle, I think it sounds lovely

Yes, pretty much this.

Well that’s 2 of us in favor anyway.

cgcsb

Nidgeweasel wrote: »

Pardon my ignorance, would any dart underground / expansion allow for a 'circle' line type of service ala, rather obviously, the circle line in London.

By that I mean just a continual loop around the city environs without it being a 'through service' to Hazehatch etc.

It would be possible to do a Loop but a full circle will depend on what happens around the Heuston area when the new design for DART Underground is done.

loyatemu

cgcsb wrote: »

It would be possible to do a Loop but a full circle will depend on what happens around the Heuston area when the new design for DART Underground is done.

getting the track from underground to the level of the PPT line would require a serious gradient which would probably make a station at Heuston impossible though I suppose it could surface around Cabra and join the PPT line there.

DU was due to have a station at Heuston and then surface at Inchicore to join the Kildare line.

cgcsb

Yes it'd be more of a loop than a circle for that reason, unless a spur tunnel somehow connects the PPT to DARTu. But I'm not sure how that'll go down cost wise or if it's really needed. We'll see how the parallel O bus route goes.

Sam Russell

How good is the clockwork orange doing in Glasgow, as that is essentially what you are talking about.

gooddarts10

While all this sounds great I fear the only DART expansion we are likely to see in the next 15/20 years will be electrification of the line to Maynooth and Drogheda.
4 tracking and Dart underground are all pie in the sky

Sam Russell

gooddarts10 wrote: »

While all this sounds great I fear the only DART expansion we are likely to see in the next 15/20 years will be electrification of the line to Maynooth and Drogheda.
4 tracking and Dart underground are all pie in the sky

I think Dart Underground may manifest itself as Metrolink II or III.

lawred2

Thread is now ten years old. Has anything been delivered for the dart in that?

gooddarts10

lawred2 wrote: »

Thread is now ten years old. Has anything been delivered for the dart in that?

Nearly completed the City centre resignaling project!

Sam Russell

lawred2 wrote: »

Thread is now ten years old. Has anything been delivered for the dart in that?

10 minute Darts.

gooddarts10

Sam Russell wrote: »

10 minute Darts.

Which was pardon the pun railroaded in without adding rolling stock or completing the cc resignaling which in turn has caused nothing but overcrowded 6 carriage Darts and congestion in Connolly

lawred2

Sam Russell wrote: »

10 minute Darts.

Well that's resulted in a reduced service for me from Portmarnock so I'm not that overwhelmed..

I'm sure it's an improvement from Howth Junction however

Ireland trains

The thing thag gets me about the ten minute dart ia that evwn though there is 5 min less wait, the trains take nearly 10 min longer than before from before so your overall wait+journey time is 5min longer than before.
And from greystones it now takes 1 hour to trave 30km.
It also slowed down northern line commuters

CatInABox

It's more general, here's a nice summary of every rail based thing that the NTA are doing, courtesy of the Railway Gazette.

lawred2

CatInABox wrote: »

It's more general, here's a nice summary of every rail based thing that the NTA are doing, courtesy of the Railway Gazette.

Estimated cost of 3Bn for the metro. Hard to see that being remotely close

marno21

lawred2 wrote: »

Estimated cost of 3Bn for the metro. Hard to see that being remotely close

The figure quoted for spend is upto 2024. Metro is not to finish til 2027. It's not the complete spend for the Metrolink project (the total of which is yet to be determined).

Sam Russell

Irish Rail looking for secondhand trains.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/tender-out-for-up-to-80-pre-owned-trains-to-meet-urgent-demand-1.3813067

Tender out for up to 80 ‘pre-owned’ trains to meet urgent demand
Irish Rail also seeking to buy 41 inter-city carriages as passenger numbers soar

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has issued a tender for pre-owned trains to meet urgent commuter demand, particularly in the greater Dublin area.

The authority is seeking between 60 and 80 vehicles which must be ready to go into service by February 2020.

The projected cost of the second-hand trains is not being revealed because a tendering process is involved.

Of course, the Irish gauge is 1.6m rather than the standard gauge 4ft 8.5 inches. That is a difference of 6.5 inches or 16.5 cm. The trains will need new bogies, unless they come from Australia or Brazil (or NI).

LXFlyer

Sam Russell wrote: »

Irish Rail looking for secondhand trains.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/tender-out-for-up-to-80-pre-owned-trains-to-meet-urgent-demand-1.3813067

This is old news and has been discussed already.

They are looking at the 3-car Class 185s that are coming off lease from TransPennine Express early in 2020.

These are not for DART but are diesels for middle/long distance that would free up 29000s for suburban duties.

murphaph

They're not seriously looking for second hand intercity coaching stock I hope?

L1011

murphaph wrote: »

They're not seriously looking for second hand intercity coaching stock I hope?

The units that are possible are used for mid-distance routes. Dundalk/Newry; Rosslare etc runs that are done using 29000s would be more suited to them.

LXFlyer

murphaph wrote: »

They're not seriously looking for second hand intercity coaching stock I hope?

They’re looking for 41 additional new build intermediate ICR cars, and these Class 185 sets are on top of that and are suitable for middle/longer distance work out of Connolly.

They have plenty of years left in them - I really don’t see the issue here.

They’re potentially available quickly (as in next year) and this would solve a lot of the chronic overcrowding problems by freeing up 29000 sets.

murphaph

LXFlyer wrote: »

They’re looking for 41 additional new build intermediate ICR cars, and these Class 185 sets are on top of that and are suitable for middle/longer distance work out of Connolly.

They have plenty of years left in them - I really don’t see the issue here.

They’re potentially available quickly (as in next year) and this would solve a lot of the chronic overcrowding problems by freeing up 29000 sets.

I have no issue with used stock in general. My commute to work is often on push pull stock cascaded from lost contracts elsewhere in Germany.

I was just wondering if they were trying to buy coaching stock after selling the MkIIIs, but it seems they are not and it's only DMUs.

roadmaster

When the M3 line is upgraded to Dart will they run the train from dunboyne in to the city during the day allowing an increase in frequency of services along the mainline from clonsilla in to the city instead of only running dunboyne to clonsilla during the day.

marno21

As per NTA at Oireachtas Committee today, tender for fleet for the DART Expansion plan to go out in the next month.

marno21

Irish Rail have tendered for consultants for the Maynooth line DART upgrade and for "city centre enhancements".

https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase.asp?PID=145211

Dats me

marno21 wrote: »

Irish Rail have tendered for consultants for the Maynooth line DART upgrade and for "city centre enhancements".

https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase.asp?PID=145211

In the document attached it gives a bit more detail on the city-centre stuff:


· Infrastructural enhancement works at Connolly Station to support the DART Expansion
· Redevelopment or relocation of the Docklands Station (scope currently under study)
· Development / re-alignment and associated works for the Junctions on the line at Newcomen, North Strand, and North Wall
· Removal of the six level crossings along the Maynooth line and provision of necessary bridge relief infrastructure
· Addition of a new maintenance depot connected to the Maynooth Line


Maintenace depot is for "up to" 240 EMU units so it says

cgcsb

Dats me wrote: »

In the document attached it gives a bit more detail on the city-centre stuff:


· Infrastructural enhancement works at Connolly Station to support the DART Expansion
· Redevelopment or relocation of the Docklands Station (scope currently under study)
· Development / re-alignment and associated works for the Junctions on the line at Newcomen, North Strand, and North Wall
· Removal of the six level crossings along the Maynooth line and provision of necessary bridge relief infrastructure
· Addition of a new maintenance depot connected to the Maynooth Line


Maintenace depot is for "up to" 240 EMU units so it says

Exciting stuff

CatInABox

Dats me wrote: »

In the document attached it gives a bit more detail on the city-centre stuff:


· Infrastructural enhancement works at Connolly Station to support the DART Expansion
· Redevelopment or relocation of the Docklands Station (scope currently under study)
· Development / re-alignment and associated works for the Junctions on the line at Newcomen, North Strand, and North Wall
· Removal of the six level crossings along the Maynooth line and provision of necessary bridge relief infrastructure
· Addition of a new maintenance depot connected to the Maynooth Line


Maintenace depot is for "up to" 240 EMU units so it says

All looks good, can't wait. The mention of North Strand got me wondering if they could fit in a Dart station there, where the line crosses the Ballybough road. It would do wonders for the area, I think.