DART+ (DART Expansion)

80 km range isn’t “awful”: it’s exactly what IÉ specified when ordering these BEMUs from Alstom. If greater range was required, they’d have ordered larger batteries (or the same batteries with a more aggressive replacement schedule).

It's 37.5 km from Malahide to Drogheda. That is the longest possible distance the train has to travel to reach an electrified stretch or a charging station. Travelling that distance is never going to deplete the battery (if the battery doesn’t charge at Drogheda, the train will stay there and be replaced).

Adding more battery makes the train heavier, which increases operating cost. This isn’t an electric car where buyers are fooled into buying 500 km+ of range despite never, ever haven driven more than 200 km a day; these trains operate in a controlled, managed system, where the operator knows exactly what distances they travel, and how often; and they are serviced and re-charged to a strict schedule. The battery has been sized at 2x the typical distance between charging opportunities. Braking regeneration allows the train to add about 40 km of range to its battery while operating in the electrified stretch: traction power is drawn from overhead, and the energy recovered from braking tops up the battery (on a pure EMU, this recovered energy is fed back into the overhead lines for other trains to use).

“Range” isn’t a problem. The concerns are more long-term. One likely risk is that real-world use may result in faster degradation of battery capacity than was predicted, but this is completely fixable, most likely at Alstom’s cost, and all it means in practice is that the batteries have to be replaced after, say, 8 years instead of 12. It’s also as likely that battery degradation will be lower than predicted - our climate is actually quite gentle on Lithium batteries.

The BEMUs are not a permanent solution - they are a medium term (~10 years) risk reduction measure, so that all commuter services from Drogheda can be switched to electric trains, even if the planned line electrification to Drogheda is delayed. Switching commuter services to electric trains is essential to make the best use of limited line capacity: electric trains can run with shorter headways than diesels, and that means more slots per hour.

The alternative situation would be that no capacity improvements at all could be made until Malahide-Drogheda was electrified, despite continuing growth in demand.

And we have done this before

1936-1949 we had battery powered trains trundling up and down between Dublin and Bray, no recorded incidents of running out of juice, though did do Gorey Connolly return on a single charge once and limped home

No, not for these new trains. But from a historical point of view, it’s nice to know we had a battery train running, almost a hundred years ago.

We should have done lots of things, but can't go back and change things. So from where we actually are, rather than where we would be in some ideal world, the BEMUs are a very good move.

Once the whole DART+ network is electrified, the batteries will likely, as @goingnowhere suggested, become stationary lineside battery farms for the charging infra and presumably some will be sent to Galway, Cork or Limerick for commuter services there, but you’d wonder if they’ll keep a few sets with batteries in the GDA to operate a skeleton service in the event of a temporary power shortage/cut or storm (or vandalism for that matter) damage to the OHLE…? Would it be worth their while to do this? How does the DART currently work during a power outage?

I'm hearing ABP has granted a railway order to the DART+ South West scheme. I'll post more as I find out

quicker than Dart West. I think they also just approved another Busconnects corridor so maybe the logjam is clearing.

It's notable that 2 of the Dart+ ROs have gone to ABP and been approved and they still haven't even started the consultation on Dart+ South…

That's why I am not impressed at the 80 km range. Battery technology has improved by orders of magnitude since the 1930s, and the improvement in range of the BEMUs seems to be modest by comparison. What are the specific factors which account for this?

Also just heard south West has a railway order as well which is great.

South will be split between the Enhancements around Bray + Greystones and the Level Crossings. It makes sense from a delivery perspective. The LCs will be bogged down in challenges for years.

ABP file has 13/11/2024 as an update date for the SW Railway Order but no sign of any documents yet.

Even going beyond the BEMUs intended use on The DART network to potential future uses in Cork/Limerick/Galway commuter routes I can't see an 80km range being a limiting factor.

Regarding the DART south level crossings. Is there a legal minimum amount of time that the gates have to be open to motor traffic?

Try and get permission for a Pedestrian/cycling bridge/tunnel at each LC and close the gates 20 hrs a day to achieve higher frequency. People stop using the roads as through routes and you present formally closing them as a fait accompli when everyone is used to the new arrangement.

I believe that is the current thinking. Once the West level crossings are closed and the Bray-Greystones section is improved, the south side level crossings will just have gates down continously from 6am to 10pm and then the McDowels of the area will be calling for bridges/underpasses and it can sound like their idea.

Don't think Dart South West has been approved yet.

I’ll concede Sodium, which is very promising, but LFP is, as you say, still a Lithium ion chemistry - it was first commercialised in the late 2000s, as a replacement for lead-acid in safety-critical applications (no Cobalt makes it the least combustible of all the Li-ion chemistries), but LFP initially had poor current delivery which made it unsuitable for high-power use until recent refinements.

Solid-state lithium batteries are like Irish mainline electrification: next decade, we promise! But in fairness, there is now so much investment in the area that something has to come out soon. It’s a huge leap, but the risk for the technology is that the sodium chemistry gets there first, and sodium will be so much cheaper that it’ll win out.

I haven’t seen any confirmation of the exact type of battery installed on these BEMUs, but my gut feeling is that it’s LiFePO4, as space is not a great a concern, but fire safety, lifetime and high cycle count are. Heavy rail applications sit in that grey area between “vehicle” and “fixed storage”, so technologies from either camp could be of use.

I did say there were few breakthroughs, but sometimes all you need is a comeback: the big interest for large-scale stationary storage, Air-Iron, dates from the 1890s. I can see more stationary battery storage deployed at substations in DC railways to improve stability and reliability (and allow greater use of cheap but intermittent energy sources)

Dart+ South West approved by ABP

Good evening, Please see press release below in relation the DART+ South West Railway Order. 
An Bord Pleanála approves DART+ South West Railway OrderProject will quadruple customer capacity and deliver electrification of route from Hazelhatch & Celbridge to Heuston and South City via Phoenix Park Tunnel An Bord Pleanála have approved the Railway Order application to extend the electrified DART network from Hazelhatch & Celbridge to Heuston Station and the South city via Phoenix Park Tunnel.  The application was lodged in March 2023. DART+ South West will provide a greatly enhanced and more sustainable transport option for communities in Hazelhatch & Celbridge, Adamstown, Clondalkin & Fonthill, Parkwest & Cherry Orchard, Drumcondra and at a new station at Heuston West.  This will be achieved through infrastructure works resulting in higher frequencies and electrification, and new trains, to increase passenger capacity from the current 5,000 to 20,000 per hour per direction.  The DART+ Programme is a key element of the NTA Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy, 2022-2042. DART+ will facilitate sustainable mobility and development to enhance quality of life in our capital and its surrounding counties, through a series of fleet and infrastructure projects. The DART+ Programme is being delivered by Iarnród Éireann on behalf of NTA.     The planned infrastructure improvements include:

• 20km of electrification and re-signalling of the Hazelhatch & Celbridge Line to Heuston and the south city via Phoenix Park Tunnel.
• Construction of a new station at Heuston West to serve the community of Clancy Quay and Island Bridge.
• Four-tracking of the rail line from Park West & Cherry Orchard Station to Heuston to enhance capacity.
• All civil, bridge and ancillary works as necessary to accommodate the project.
• Upgrading of the Phoenix Park Tunnel.
• New electric DART carriages for the DART+ Programme will be deployed on Hazelhatch & Celbridge services.

The procurement process will now commence for the construction stage contracts.  Subject to funding being allocated it is anticipated that construction will commence in 2026.  Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann Jim Meade said: “Today is a great day for the communities of North Kildare and South Dublin, the provision of DART services will transform commuting for the existing and new communities along this railway corridor. It will make travelling with us more sustainable, more frequent and more reliable. This is the second DART+ project to receive planning. DART+ West Railway Order was granted in July of this year. DART+ Coastal North Railway Order Application was lodged last September & South will follow. The DART+ programme, when delivered will truly revolutionise commuting in the Greater Dublin Area and assist in me

Can you elaborate on the Inchicore footbridge, without me having to read all the documents?
Are they talking about getting rid of the khyber pass?

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/320164

I noticed on the ABP page for D+ north it says it is due to be decided by 03/02/2025. If all goes well, does that mean it would be approved by that date and D+ North could start construction in 2026? Also at this rate would this mean D+ North will be approved before D+ South even starts public consultation?

That will be somewhat annoying for staff in Inchicore who walk down there to get the bus!

I'll read it later but was there a reason given for not renewing the bridge?

The decision due date is more of a 'ha-ha' sort of a due date, it won't ever be achieved

"20km of electrification and re-signalling of the Hazelhatch & Celbridge Line to Heuston and the south city via Phoenix Park Tunnel."

While this is great to see all this, the station at the old cement terminal in Cabra should be done during these works.

Was decided on too late to go in to the RO, would have delayed it. Probably going to go for conventional planning permission instead.

Ditto Kylemore Road.

Instead, let's just stretch out what should be one fairly big project into several projects over a much broader timeframe.