- DART and Commuter times to change, and feedback sought on options for Northern Commuter / Enterprise
- Broombridge stop proposed to be added to all Sligo line services to connect with Luas Green Line
More Intercity Train train services for Galway, Waterford, Dublin, Belfast, and Cork Commuter network.
More Intercity train services to/from Galway and Waterford – with later final departures to/from both cities;
a move from a two-hourly to an hourly service on Dublin/Belfast;
and additional weekend trains on the Cork commuter network are the highlights of a proposed new Iarnród Éireann rail timetable.
Invitation to the public to submit feedback in advance of the finalisation of the new timetable
The rail company, in conjunction with the National Transport Authority, is planning to implement timetable alterations from 25th August 2024 (except for hourly Belfast services, which are proposed to commence from Monday 7th October). The company has published details of the proposed schedule and has invited the public to submit feedback in advance of the finalisation of the new timetable.
Dublin/Belfast services
To accommodate hourly Dublin/Belfast services and improve punctuality performance, customers are also asked to note that departure times are proposed to change on many DART, Northern Commuter and Maynooth Commuter services.
Iarnród Éireann and the NTA have specifically proposed two options for Northern Commuter and Belfast services in the off-peak, relating to timetable pattern and journey times, which customers are asked to consider.
Sligo/Dublin Connolly route will benefit
Amongst stopping pattern changes, customers on the Sligo/Dublin Connolly route will benefit from interchange with the Luas Green line with the proposal to stop all services at Broombridge, as opposed to a limited number of services currently.
Highlights of the proposed new timetables
Highlights of the proposed new timetables are:
NEW SERVICES
- Up to five additional weekday services on the Heuston/Galway route including an earlier first service from Heuston to Galway, and a later final service of the day each way, and an additional Sunday service each way:
- New 05:45 hrs Heuston/Galway service (Mon-Fri) arriving at 08:36 hrs. This gives a pre-09:00 arrival into Galway City.
- New 07:27 hrs Tullamore/Galway service (Mon-Fri) arriving at 08:58 hrs. This provides an additional morning peak service into Galway for all stations between Tullamore and Oranmore.
- New 20:30 hrs Heuston/Galway service (Mon-Sat) arriving at 23:06 hrs. This will provide a later last service from Dublin to Tullamore, Clara, Athlone, Ballinasloe, Woodlawn, Athenry, Oranmore & Galway.
- New 09:05 hrs Galway/Heuston (Mon-Fri) serving Oranmore, Athenry, Ballinasloe, Athlone, Tullamore & Portarlington, arriving into Dublin Heuston at 11:29 hrs.
- New 20:50 hrs Galway/Heuston service (Mon-Sat) arriving at 23:33 hrs. This will provide a later last service from Galway to Clara, Tullamore, Portarlington, Kildare, Newbridge & Heuston.
- New 10:30 hrs Heuston/Galway (Sundays) service arriving at 13:02 hrs, also calling at Newbridge, Kildare, Portarlington, Tullamore, Clara, Athlone, Ballinasloe, Woodlawn, Athenry & Oranmore.
- New 13:40 hrs Galway/Heuston (Sundays) service arriving at 16:14 hrs, also calling at Oranmore, Athenry, Attymon, Woodlawn, Ballinasloe, Athlone, Clara, Tullamore & Portarlington.
- Extra Heuston/Waterford service in each direction, a later final service each way, delivered through:
- 20:15 hrs Heuston/Carlow (Mon-Sat) is deferred to 20:20 hrs and now also extended to Waterford additionally serving Muine Bheag, Kilkenny & Thomastown. This will provide a later last service for stations between Dublin & Carlow to Muine Bheag, Kilkenny, Thomastown & Waterford on Mondays to Saturdays.
- 21:37 hrs Carlow/Heuston (Mon-Sat) will now commence from Waterford at 20:20 hrs additionally serving Thomastown, Kilkenny & Muine Bheag. This will now provide a later last service from Waterford, Thomastown, Kilkenny & Muine Bheag for stations between Carlow & Dublin on Mondays to Saturdays. There will also be intermediate timing changes to this service from Carlow to Heuston.
- Additional service each way Dublin/Waterford/Dublin on Sundays bringing the total services to 5 in each direction.
- 7 new services Monday to Saturday in each direction on Dublin to Belfast route, delivering a new clockface hourly service Dublin/Belfast/Dublin on Monday to Saturdays, including pre-09.00 arrivals into both cities. Services will also operate to/from the new Belfast Grand Central Station. (from 7th October)
- Clockface two-hourly service Dublin/Belfast/Dublin on Sundays, with earlier first services and later last services in each direction. Services will also now operate to/from the new Belfast Grand Central Station.
- 10 new Saturday services in each direction on Cork/Cobh Commuter, delivering a clockface half-hourly service on Saturdays.
- 4 new Sunday services in each direction on Cork/Cobh Commuter and6 new Sunday services in each direction on Cork/Midleton Commuter, delivering a clockface hourly all-day service on both routes on Sundays.
Specific Feedback requested for 2 options for Northern Commuter and Belfast Enterprise Customers
SIGNIFICANT TIMETABLE CHANGES TO DART & COMMUTER – NORTHERN COMMUTER AND BELFAST ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS ASKED FOR SPECIFIC FEEDBACK ON TWO OPTIONS FOR SERVICES
- In recent years, enhancement in levels of service on DART & Commuter routes has intensified demand for track space at Connolly Station. Several corridors converge to serve the Central Dublin Stations – Connolly, Tara Street and Pearse. At peak times, minor delays to individual trains can result in long lasting subsequent service delays due to the congested nature of the infrastructure.
- With the introduction of an hourly Enterprise service between Dublin & Belfast as part of this timetable change and changed travel patterns in this post Covid period, a number of timetable alterations are proposed to improve traffic flows around the Connolly area and to improve service punctuality. The changes applied will see a more regular pattern of service on these routes, better spacing of services between Connolly Station & Pearse Station & increased use of Grand Canal Dock Station for peak commuter services.
- To enable these improvements there may be occasions where customers are required to interchange at a city station to continue to their final destination, as is common practice on busy Commuter Rail Networks around the world. These changes will provide performance benefits to all routes around the City Centre area and will reduce the large impacts which even minor delays currently cause to the timetable.
- Two options have emerged to deliver the clockface hourly service for Dublin/Belfast and accommodate the existing twice-hourly off-peak Drogheda/Dublin Commuter service. Iarnród Éireann and the NTA ask customers of these services to consider the trade-off between journey times and even headways of service and to give us your views:
- OPTION 1:
- Hourly Dublin/Belfast service – end to end journey time range 2:08-2:12;
- Hourly Belfast/Dublin service – end to end journey time range 2:11-2:17;
- Frequency of off-peak daytime Drogheda – Dublin Commuter services – 20 minute gap, followed by 40 minute gap.
- Every second Drogheda/Dublin off-peak daytime commuter services commence/terminate at Grand Canal Dock;
- Off-peak daytime Drogheda/Dublin Commuter services end to end journey time range: 0:55–0:56
- Off-peak daytime Dublin/Drogheda Commuter services end to end journey time range: 0:57–0:59
- Two services per hour in the evening peak commence from Grand Canal Dock.
- OPTION 2:
- Hourly Dublin/Belfast service – end to end journey time range 2:08-2:12;
- Hourly Belfast/Dublin service – end to end journey time range 2:11-2:23;
- Frequency of off-peak daytime Drogheda – Dublin Commuter services – every 30 minutes
- All Drogheda – Dublin off-peak daytime commuter services commence/terminate at Connolly.
- Off-peak daytime Drogheda/Dublin Commuter services end to end journey time range: 0:56–0:59
- Off-peak daytime Dublin/Drogheda Commuter services end to end journey time range: 0:54–1:04
- One service per hour in the evening peak commences from Grand Canal Dock.
- OPTION 1:
STOP CHANGES ON EXISTING SERVICES
- 09:30 hrs Galway/Heuston (Mon-Fri) is deferred to 10:05 hrs, arriving into Dublin Heuston at 12:41 hrs. It will also additionally serve Oranmore.
- 13:00 hrs Galway/Heuston (Sundays) service is advanced to 12:20 hrs and will additionally serve Oranmore. It will no longer serve Attymon, customers can avail of the new 13:40 hrs service from Galway instead.
- All Sligo services will now call additionally at Broombridge for interchange with Luas Green Line services.
- Some Phoenix Park Tunnel services (Grand Canal Dock to Hazelhatch/Newbridge) will now commence/terminate at Connolly Station rather than operate to/from Grand Canal Dock.
The consultation survey is open until Thursday 13th June.
Full draft timetables, and the consultation feedback form are available here: https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/news/Timetable-Consultation-2024
We encourage all customers and all considering rail for their sustainable travel options to review the proposed changes, and give us their feedback
Iarnród Éireann and the National Transport Authority will review all suggestions received, for all routes on the network, whether or not changes are proposed in this draft timetable. Suggested alterations which cannot be implemented at this timetable change will be retained in a database for consideration at future timetable reviews. Please note that peak frequency cannot currently be increased, as all available fleet and infrastructure capacity is in use.
An Iarnród Éireann spokesperson said “in 2024, we are set to see the highest ever number of passengers on our network. This will be the third timetable change in a row in which Iarnród Éireann with the National Transport Authority have identified opportunities for further service improvements, with 41 new Intercity railcar carriages which entered service this year facilitating much of the service expansion. We encourage all current customers and all considering rail for their sustainable travel options to review the proposed changes, and give us their feedback, as we finalise the new schedule.”
Full draft timetables, and the consultation feedback form are available here: https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/news/Timetable-Consultation-2024