Dart Lines

Dublin possesses a large network of old heavy rail lines, most of which have some type of commuter services. In the 1975 DRRTS plan, it was planned to begin electrifying them, in response to very poor service levels and the desire to create a more modern, better integrated network. In 1984, the first DART line opened along the coast from Portmarnock and Howth down to Bray.

In the Platform For Change plan announced in 2000, the long-awaited expansion of the DART network was incorporated. A tunnel would be dug to connect the isolated Heuston Station to the rail network surrounding Connolly Station to the east. This would allow the creation of a 2-line DART network that would tie up all the lines, bypass bottlenecks, and improve service frequencies.

In the Transport21 plan announced in 2005, a somewhat reduced version of this plan was included. It was the same plan except that the DART would only extend as far as Balbriggan instead of Drogheda, and as far as Hazelhatch (south of Celbridge) instead of Kildare.

Line 1 would have from Maynooth to Greystones with a branch to Navan. There is currently a diesel service from Maynooth to Connolly Station which would be electrified. The rest, from Connolly to Greystones, is already complete and no further work was required. The line would intersect Line 2 at Drumcondra and Pearse.

Line 2 is the line from Balbriggan to Hazelhatch with a spur to Howth. Of this, Malahide to Clontarf is already electrified and complete, and Heuston to Hazelhatch has a diesel service with a low frequency. This latter section was expanded to four tracks and had new stations added between 2006 and February 2010. The missing section, from Heuston to Clontarf, would be underground and construction was due to commence in 2012, with completion in 2018. This would intersect the Metro North line at a large underground complex at Stephen's Green, and the other DART line at Pearse. Line 2 also foresaw electrification of the line from Malahide to Balbriggan, and the Heuston to Hazelhatch section.

Of the Line 1 Navan branch, the first phase from Clonsilla to Pace (a Park and Ride on the M3) opened on September 2nd, 2010. The second phase as far as Navan town was due to open by 2015.

In 2018, a new plan was launched called DART+, and up the present, this is still the active plan. It is the first time a credible plan has been launched which has significant momentum behind it. The plan no longer involves the building of the Interconnector tunnel for DART (now known as DART+ Tunnel) under the city but just the electrification of remaining lines and extension of the DART up to Drogheda. The plan is not to consolidate into Line 1 and Line 2 but to keep all lines separate, meaning the existing coastal line will be unchanged. The Maynooth and Kildare lines will be separate lines. However, the Kildare line will run some services into Heuston but many others through the Phoenix Park tunnel, which reopened in 2016.

Update 21/04/2021: Planning permission for the conversion of the Maynooth and Kildare railway lines to DART was expected to be requested by late summer 2021.
The Navan rail line will not proceed at this time, and is deferred to around 2040.

Update 26/09/2021: Pelletstown train station on the Maynooth line in Dublin has opened. The next project for this line is to electrify it. Planning permission for this is expected to be lodged in Q1 2022.

Update 18/07/2024: After 2 years of consideration planning permission has been achieved for DART+ West, which comprises the Maynooth railway line, the spur to Dunboyne and M3 Parkway, and to a new station in Docklands called Spencer Dock. However, the depot was refused permission as it is proposed to be built on a flood plain! TII have indicated that they will alter this plan accordingly and submit a new application for it as a standalone project in order to avoid delaying the main works. Since a year of tendering, procurement and construction ramp-up is usual, it looks like work will begin in July or August next year.

Update 22/11/2024: Great news today, as the DART+ Southwest project has received planning approval! This large project will electrify the Heuston/Phoenix Park Tunnel to Hazelhatch corridor. In 2010 most of this was 4-tracked so as well as overhead wiring the remaining 2/3 track section from Park West-Heuston will be 4-tracked. There will also be a new station constructed at Heuston West. This location already has a platform on one side, but is never used.
In addition, many bridges along the route will need to be demolished and widened, such as at Le Fanu Road, Kylemore Road and the large and complex road junction at Islandbridge. Unlike the DART+ West project out to Maynooth, however, this one will not require any level crossing closures as it does not feature any.
Surprisingly the planning decision decided that the Khyber Pass pedestrian overbridge would not be retained. This old bridge has long since provided pedestrian access from Ballyfermot to the Inchicore railway works depot and its removal may prove controversial.

There is a separate project to build new stations at Ballyfermot (at the Kylemore road overbridge) and Cabra West at Hampton Gardens.

Update 17/05/2025: DART+ SouthEast, the project to extend the DART to Wicklow town, has had another setback as the start date for battery electric services to Wicklow has been pushed out from 2028 to 2029.

Update 30/05/2025: Exciting news for heavy rail in Dublin, as the first contracts have been published for DART+ West and Southwest, including:
Contract for the Design and Build Of Spencer Dock
Rail Systems Contractor for DART+ Southwest

Iarnrod Eireann has a full summary of the state of play. "With two Railway Orders received for DART+ West, and DART+ South West, enabling works are expected to commence in 2026 for DART+ infrastructure. Contract awards are targeted for the end of 2026 ... subject to funding and approval."

Update 23/06/2025: Wonderful news on the DART front! The two Judicial Reviews (JRs) on the DART+ West scheme have been withdrawn and the scheme is now free to proceed. This certainty will come as good news to the construction firms that were planning on tendering for it. The timeline for DART+ West and Southwest remains unchanged: enabling works will kick off December 2025, with full construction in December 2026/January 2027.

Update 26/06/2025: As promised, the process to develop Cabra DART station was launched today. It will be built adjacent to the recent Hampton Gardens apartment complex, towards the south end of the site. This is a good choice as it avoids too much catchment overlap with Broombridge train station. Access will only be provided from the west. It seems the project will not require a Railway Order (railway planning application) and can be built alongside the other DART+ improvements.

Wikipedia page on DART

PICTURES OF DART LINES: (none yet)