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Plans For A New Dart Line To Celbridge Have Been Revealed

File image: Rolling News

Subject to planning approval, works should commence by 2025

Plans for a new DART line to Celbridge have been revealed.

This major public transport project will extend DART trains from Dublin city centre to Hazelhatch and Celbridge train station in Co. Kildare, as part of a wider expansion of DART services in the coming years. 

The project will provide a fast, high-frequency and electrified rail service to communities along the route at Islandbridge, Park West and Cherry Orchard, Clondalkin, Adamstown, and Celbridge and Hazelhatch. 

The Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, has secured agreement from the Cabinet for the DART+ South West rail project to enter the planning system.

It involved 20 kilometres of a new electrified track and the project will move into the planning system by the end of the month.

Subject to planning permission and final funding arrangements, construction works for DART + South West could commence in 2025, with delivery of the infrastructure by the end of the decade. 

In general, train services along the route will at least double in frequency, with up to 11 trains each way per hour at peak times serving stations upon completion of the project.

This will increase the number of passengers that can travel to and from Dublin city along the route from circa 5,000 each way at present to 20,000 in future.

The project will see construction of a new station, Heuston West, at Islandbridge, and the quadrupling of rail track between Park West and Heuston.

The project involves electrification of the Phoenix Park Tunnel along with the wider route, allowing DART trains to operate between Hazelhatch/Celbridge and Connolly station (and beyond), as well as Heuston station.

 DART+ South West is part of the multi-billion euro DART+ Programme which will treble the current DART rail network from 53km to 150km, extending the DART to Drogheda to the north, Maynooth and M3 Parkway to the west and Hazelhatch and Celbridge to the south-west.

This will allow many more people to travel conveniently and sustainably by public transport. The number of people living within 1km of a DART station will increase hugely from about 250,000 at present to 600,000 in future.

 Minister Ryan commented: “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.

"We’ll start this with the delivery of the first batch of 90 new DART carriages arriving next year. This will see new DART services between Drogheda and Dublin city from early 2025, before then expanding to other areas including Hazelhatch and Celbridge," added.

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