DART+ (DART Expansion)

Aren't we too quick to make excuses and give up? Adding a proper lighting and CCTV could improve a confidence.

On most Cork-Dublin trains you can change at Portlaoise (usually last intermediate stop) into an all-stations Portlaoise to Heuston train. Something similar works for Cork bound trains: you can get a stopping train at (say) Hazlehatch and make the connection at Portlaoise.

Very short sections of multiple track like Clontarf-Raheny rely on everything running to time. Any delay will knock on to other services very easily.

Yeah, but when Dart+West is finished, including 4-tracking between Heuston and HH, the Portloaise commuter trains won't serve every stop. So people will most likely have to change mode 2 or 3 times, from a bus to a dart to a commuter train, just to get to an intercity. Or travel from the suburbs into the city, only to travel back out again.

Speed is key, but that will be achieved with faster line speeds, removal of crossings, passing loops and electrification. Adding a stop on the outskirts of Dublin supports a proper connected network, which offers enormous choice and convenience for passengers.

The city transport network has been built with a total focus on radial routes through the centre of the city, a mistake which is being undone through Bus Connects. We shouldn't make the same mistake while building a proper intercity network that is supposed to encourage people out of cars.

So then the Enterprise is three mins late and then recovers it once it overtakes the DART.

Delays can happen anywhere let’s be honest.

That’s what a pathing allowance is for in rail schedules.

God that really is a 69 page report of dotting i's and crossing t's.

They say:

• Since they prepared their environmental reports in July 2022, the Minister has designated the North-West Irish Sea cSPA (special protection area) so they need to say they could affect it - but don't
• Cormorant birds, which nest on cliffs on places like Ireland's eye, and forage for food by diving into the sea, could in theory fly over the project area and collide with the over head line equipment (OHLE) - the electricity wires. Then there's about 5 more pages only for them to state that this is also potentially a risk for Brent Geese, which they have already planned for with mitigation measures to make the wires more visible to birds.
• There's a response to an unfounded public consultation claim that Brent Geese forage on the Ashtown Stables lands. Even though the geese are well known to use Martin Savage park 200m away as it is better more secure feeding grounds. The planned project only impacts 3% of the Ashtown Stable lands.
• Finally there's about 50 pages where they examine every major plan or major planning application in the Dublin area to consider if those projects in combination with DART+ West would cause significant environmental impacts. None do.

What an absolute waste of paper. It's a much bigger waste of time. ABP had to write to Irish Rail to ask for this pointless information. IR had to prepare this document. Then it needs to go on public display for 4 weeks. Something that IR messed up the public notice for the first time requiring it to be re-put on public display for another 4 weeks. All the while ABP can't make significant progress on examining the application.

I'd forget about this tbh. NTA (the funding authority) have told Irish Rail they want it postponed for some indefinite period and are looking at splitting it into 2 projects, one is capacity enhancement between Bray and Greystones and the other is the D4 level crossings closure which is on the never-never. Of course the proposed service levels aren't achievable with the D4 level crossings open but the NTA has indicated that they don't want the fight right now. Maybe after the Maynooth line crossings are closed they'll grow a pair but right now it's not on the cards. This would be the 3rd attempt at closing them but the residents of the area are pretty powerful and it always ends up being canned.

Trim the closing times and we probably have more railway incursions than we already do (it seems like we have one every other week; and a record 3 in one day not too long ago)

Totally agree. If a driver is unable to control his/her vehicle at the most basic level, licence revoking should be implemented. Drivers get away with far too many driving offences - traffic light breaking, not stopping at stop lines, dangerous overtaking, driving with no headlights on, driving with fog lights on, driving with fog lights on but headlights off, one/multiple light bulb failures - the list is virtually endless.

Stricter enforcement of the rules of the road should result in drivers copping on quickly that breaking those rules will result in them not being licensed to hold a licence.

The model is putting safety first as does the entire rule book that governs railway operations.

Signal spacing and train speeds dictate when the gates come down.

The current design assume the gates are compromised until a human visual checks and only then is the signal cleared, that signal will have to be ~200m back from the gates and of course the train can't be simply shown a red signal it has to be shown a yellow one first so that is another +800m at least back up the line

The new ETCS L1 kit going in will give the driver a distance to go/braking curve as a function of that train types performance, so for DART this means signals the only signal which counts is a red one as the braking performance is vastly better than the worst case the signal spacing is designed for so you can sail through a yellow at 100kph and still have space to spare to stop at the next signal. Today the system would enforce a 50kph limit ~250m before the yellow signal, train starts to brake automatically at ~250m down to 50kph

That will make a difference between Blackrock and Grand Canal Dock as it will be full speed into Booterstown (yellow distant forces 50kph half way) unlike today and similarly departing Sydney Parade you get full speed to Sandymount and not restricted by the yellow or red for Serpentine Ave

Raising or lowering the rail tracks (and at the same time doing the opposite to the road) would be a big project. It would require a significant closure of the rail line, far longer than would be considered acceptable.