The first of the long-overdue InterCity trains, recently ordered from Mitsui in Japan was introduced into passenger carrying service by Iarnrod Eireann on the Sligo to Dublin line on Wednesday 19th December.

The new train units are to replace the unsuitable commuter railcar fleet which have served the line for the past 2 years.

Major improvements are promised on the Sligo-Dublin Intercity service, with a new timetable coming into operation in 21st January 2008, consisting of 8 trains each way per day.

This is to include a new Monday to Friday early bird service departing Sligo at 05.45hrs, and an early evening 16.00hrs service from Dublin to Sligo. Other services will depart on a clockface pattern, from Sligo every two hours from 07.00hrs to 19.00hrs, and from Dublin every two hours from 07.05hrs to 19.05hrs.

The improvements are made possible by the introduction of the brand new fleet of trains on the Sligo-Dublin route.

The Sligo-Dublin route is the first line in Ireland to benefit from Iarnrod Eireann's €400 million fleet of 183 Intercity railcar carriages which are being rolled out across the network throughout 2008.

Under the Transport 21 initiative, Iarnród Éireann’s train fleet will be transformed from the oldest to the newest in Europe, and our DART and Commuter fleet will benefit from a record order to cater for the dramatic growth forecast.

The new Intercity railcar fleet is set to transform quality, comfort and frequency right across the national rail network. Following a period of testing and commissioning, they are now being introduced across the network, with the entire fleet being delivered and phased into service across the country throughout 2007 and 2008.

The fleet of 183 new railcars was ordered from Mitsui of Japan, in partnership with Rotem of the Republic of Korea and Tokyu Car Corporation of Japan, and will feature significantly higher frequency and capacity on all InterCity routes, modern on-board comfort standards, the replacement of an outdated fleet across the network, improved accessibility for mobility-impaired customers, better reliability and performance, with integral engines in each carriage.

Features of the Intercity railcar fleet will include:

Automatic PA and information display systems
Electronic seat reservation displays for web bookings
Fully air-conditioned
Internal CCTV system for improved security
Sleek carriage design
Advanced safety features throughout

In a new departure for Iarnród Éireann’s Intercity fleet, the new trains are railcars, with integral engines in each carriage, delivering greater reliability and performance, as well as operational flexibility.

Thr trains are in 3-car and 6-car sets, with seating for 192 customers and 378 customers respectively, and will be the greenest diesel train fleet in Europe, with Iarnród Éireann’s new fleet already meeting the Stage 3B EU emission limits for nitrous oxides (2.0g/kWh), a limit which will not be enforced until 2012.

They also meet the Stage 3A limit for soot particles, of 0.2g/kWh, which will be enforced from 2009. The new green engine technology has been developed by MTU of Friedrichshafen, Germany,

Last Modified Thursday, 20-Dec-2007 21:57:05 GMT.