Iarnród Éireann awards Alstom €160 million DART+ train contract

Iarnród Éireann has confirmed a €160 million contract with Alstom, a global rail manufacturer headquartered in France, to supply 100 X’trapolis electric multiple unit (EMU) carriages, forming 20 five-carriage train sets for the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) network.

The new order increases the total DART+ carriages under construction to 285 and will replace the original 8100 Class fleet, in service since 1984.

Production will take place at Alstom’s plant in Chorzów, Poland. Each five-carriage train will match the length of DART’s current four-car sets and accommodate 100 passengers per carriage.

The latest contract includes a 15-year maintenance agreement, complementing two previous orders with ten-year maintenance schedules. The framework allows for up to 750 electric and battery-electric carriages over a ten-year period.

Battery-electric multiple units (BEMU) form a major component of the programme. Of the 185 carriages from the first two orders, 155 are BEMU units, with recharging facilities to be provided by Alstom at Drogheda station. The trains are designed to enhance accessibility, onboard passenger information, and reliability while supporting Ireland’s decarbonisation goals.

Mary Considine, Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann, said: “The new modern fleets will deliver real improvements in customer experience for all DART users across the expanded network under the DART+ Programme, and include major accessibility benefits.”

Piers Wood, Managing Director for Alstom Ireland, added: “Together with the battery-electric units already on order, the trains are intended to support more reliable and lower-emission services, improvements to accessibility and onboard information, and efforts to help double rail capacity for the DART while advancing Ireland’s wider decarbonisation goals.”

The DART+ programme forms a key part of Ireland’s national procurement strategy to modernise urban transport, increase passenger capacity, and integrate greener, low-emission technologies in public transport networks.

Read the full article on Alstom’s DART+ expansion and Ireland’s procurement strategy.

Photo credits to Ireland Department of Transport