Enterprise: Belfast-Dublin Rail To Receive Multi-Million Investment

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

Cross-border rail services between Belfast and Dublin are set to benefit from a £141.9m investment.

These are points from the rest of the article.

• The investment is part of the Peace Plus initiative which funds projects in Northern Ireland and border counties.
• The funding will support a major programme aimed at providing an hourly service between Belfast and Dublin.
• All existing Enterprise trains are to be replaced with brand new trains by the end of this decade leading to faster journey times.
• Ian Campbell from transport company Translink said that the announcement was “good news” and “very much needed”.
• Mr Campbell said the funding would allow the current fleet of four enterprise trains to be replaced by eight new trains.
• He said that these trains would allow a “step up in accessibility and passenger experience”, as well as reducing the journey times by “about 15 minutes”.
• He added that the trains would be “designed ultimately to operate as a net zero service using sustainable technology”.
• Mr Campbell said that the hourly service was “very much needed” as Translink expected there to be demand for two million passenger journeys on the service by 2030.
• Funding is also being provided by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) in Northern Ireland and the Department of Transport in the Republic of Ireland.

These are my thoughts.

The Enterprise Service

The BBC article describes the service like this.

Jointly operated by Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnród Éireann, the Enterprise train service has provided a transport link between Belfast and Dublin for over 75 years.

These are some points about the tracks and the trains.

1. The Northern terminal is Belfast Lanyon Place station.
2. The Southern terminal is Dublin Connolly station.
3. The Wikipedia entry for the Belfast and Dublin line says the distance is 112 miles, with an operating speed of 90 mph.

The fastest services take two hours and five minutes, which is an average speed of 54 mph.

Electrification Between Dublin And Belfast

Currently, only the nine miles at the Southern end between Dublin Connolly and Malahide stations is electrified using 1,500 V DC overhead.

But there is a program being planned called Dart+, which could see electrification extended by 23 miles to Drogheda station.

New Trains For The Enterprise Service

The BBC article made these points about the new trains.

This funding will finance the replacement of the current Enterprise fleet of four train-sets with eight new, modern and sustainable train-sets. Enterprise is jointly operated by Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnród Éireann, and the new trains are designed to evolve as both jurisdictions work towards a fully electrified cross-border rail corridor over the coming decades.

The procurement process for the new train-sets is set to be completed in the coming year, with the fleet expected to be in operation by 2029. The trains will be designed initially to run on electric and battery power, with the possibility to be converted into fully electric operation in the future.

After the DART reaches Drogheda, 32 miles of the Enterprise route will be electrified, with 80 miles unelectrified.

If it is assumed that the Dublin Connolly and Drogheda electrification, means that all trains leave Drogheda for Belfast with a full battery, then it looks to me, that there are three ways, this route could be operated.

• Trains would have a range on excess of 80 miles and would be charged by a short length of overhead wire in or near Belfast Lanyon Place station.
• Trains would have a range on excess of 160 miles and would be charged, whilst running South of Drogheda.
• Trains would be tri-mode trains, with diesel power.

Note.

1. Battery-electric multiple units have already been ordered for the Dublin DART from Alstom.
2. There are several charging systems available from companies like Furrer+Frey, Hitachi and others.
3. The Guinness World Record for a battery-electric train is around 140 miles, but battery technology is improving.
4.  I suspect range will rule out the second option.
5. The first option would be zero-carbon from day one.

Choosing the first option would seem to be the most likely option.

When electrification between Belfast Lanyon Place and Dublin Connolly is completed, all trains could be converted to either all-electric or battery-electric trains.

Could Similar Techniques Be Used To Decarbonise Other Irish Routes?

Just as the Belfast service uses a branch of the electrified DART, as a route out of Dublin, it appears that other Irish routes share tracks with the DART to access stations in the centre of Dublin.

• Cork services share the DART branch to Hazelhatch and Celbridge station.
• Sligo services share the DART branch to Maynooth station.
• Rosslare services share the DART branch to Greystones station.
• Waterford services share the DART branch to Hazelhatch and Celbridge station.

I can see similar trains, that will be used between Dublin and Belfast, being used on other routes to and from Dublin.

Conclusion

Decarbonisation of Dublin and Belfast could be the start of something big and green in the island of Ireland.

I suspect train manufacturers, like Alstom, CAF and Stadler will use all their skills to secure the contract to build the trains for the Enterprise service.

 

 

April 16, 2024 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Battery-Electric Trains, Belfast, Belfast Lanyon Place Station, Dublin, Dublin Connolly Station, Dublin DART, Enterprise Trains, Northern Ireland, Peace Plus Initiative, Republic Of Ireland, TransLink | 5 Comments