Train capacity to increase by 2027

Iarnród Éireann has indicated that capacity on trains serving Clondalkin, Palmerstown and Adamstown will increase in 2027 after calls from politicians and the public.

Calls were made on all levels to increase the capacity of trains servicing areas in South Dublin as commuters are currently experiencing overcrowding during peak hours on the Adamstown to Heuston route.

The national rail service noted that their passenger demand in 2025 had reached a record high of 55 million and that they expect it to grow further.

Iarnród Éireann stated: “285 carriages have already been ordered for the Greater Dublin Area.

“These will begin entering service from Q2 2027 onwards, with 50 carriages expected to enter service in 2027 and the remainder in 2028 and 2029, and we intend to place subsequent orders of this fleet.”

Dublin Mid-West TD Mark Ward called for the expected date to be brought forward upon receiving this information.

Deputy Ward noted that the overcrowding on the busy route has caused people to be late for work as they are unable to board.

He noted that the Drogheda-Dublin line is expected to receive the first batch of extra carriages and some of the current carriages will be moved to the local line, but he noted that capacity should have increased earlier and the timeline given is “not good enough.”

“With housing developments like Clonburris, there is an increased demand for public transport.

“The government have put the cart before the horse in terms of increase transport options.

“Increased train capacity should have been delivered alongside the increase in housing.”

The deployment of extra carriages will be subject to review with and the approval of the National Transport Authority, as well as subject to demand and infrastructure capacity at the time.

This process will be repeated with the introduction of a further 90 battery-electric carriages, freeing up existing trains, while the remaining 100 electric carriages will ultimately replace the original DART fleet, which has been in operation since 1984.

Iarnród Éireann stated: “We currently operate all available trains on a daily basis, outside of required maintenance cycles to ensure fleet reliability and any repair works which may be taking place.

“We are maximising use of our rolling stock to meet demand and will continue to monitor passenger loadings.

“We recognise that this is creating pressure on our capacity on some services at the busiest times at present.

“While our trains are busy, they are designed to safely accommodate full loading at our busiest times, though we appreciate this can be uncomfortable.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.