Dublin Area Rapid Transit Details, Meaning Dublin Area Rapid Transit Article and Explanation Guide

Dublin Area Rapid Transit Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description

The Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) is a suburban railway system in Dublin, Ireland, running primarily along the coastline of Dublin Bay from Greystones to Howth and Malahide. It is run by the national rail operator, Iarnród Éireann. The route from the city centre to Dún Laoghaire was one of the first railways in Ireland, opening as the Dublin and Kingstown Railway in 1847.

Trains are electric, running from a 1500 Volts DC overhead power supply. The original service provided by DART from 1984 ran from Howth, a fishing village to the north of Dublin city centre, through the city centre stations of Connolly, Tara Street, and Pearse, to the port suburb of Dún Laoghaire and terminated at Bray. Some 15 years later the electrification was extended south one stop to Greystones, and at the beginning of the 21st century from Howth Junction two stops along the Belfast main line to Malahide.

In preparation for electrification, two new stations were provided which at the time were not in use by the diesel-electric service. Sandymount station at Sandymount Avenue was opened where a station had previously stood and a station called Salthill was built at the original terminus of the railway between Seapoint and Dun Laoghaire to the north of the West Pier. It is believed that the former station at Merrion Gates, between Sydney Parade and Booterstown will be redeveloped in the near future. At the time of the electrification work in 1981-82, the former branch to the railway station at Dun Laoghaire pier used by ferry passengers was disconnected as the main track had to be lowered in order to fit the overhead power cables under road bridges in Dun Laoghaire; some ten years later a brand new passenger ferry terminal was built immediately adjacent to the main Dun Laoghaire station.

The service is provided by 2-car and more recently 4-car Japanese-built electric multiple unit trains, which normally run coupled as 6-car trains in the peak period and 4-car trains at other times. 40 two-car trainsets were purchased initially, and an extra 13 trainsets entered service in 2001. DART carries 80,000 passengers daily, and continued demand for increased capacity means that work is currently in hand (2003-4) to strengthen power supplies to allow the use of 8-car trains.

Apart from the short distance between Howth Junction and Howth, DART shares its tracks with mainline services to Belfast in the north of Ireland and Rosslare in the south east, as well as non-DART commuter DMUs (known as Arrow services). Connolly Station is also shared with services to and from Sligo

One of the best-known stations is at Lansdowne Road, the home of the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and the venue for Irish Rugby international matches. Further south the train stops at Sydney Parade Avenue, a street of some Georgian and many Edwardian and Victorian red-brick houses in the Dublin embassy belt.

Table of contents

1 List of Stops
2 See also
3 External links