Irish Rail has this week officially lodged an application with An Bord Pleanala asking for permission to extend the new DART+ South West line.
The line will provide "fast, high-frequency and electrified" rail service to communities along the route at Islandbridge, Park West and Cherry Orchard, Clondalkin, Adamstown, and Celbridge and Hazelhatch. The public consultation period will begin on March 29 and run until May 16 for a period of seven weeks.
It comes after the DART+ West Railway Order (Maynooth/M3 Parkway to Dublin) was lodged with An Bord Pleanála in July 2022, and the DART+ South West is the second line in the DART+ Programme to reach this stage.
Read more: Plans finalised for new DART line to Celbridge by end of decade
The extension plans are set to move into the planning system by the end of the month and involves 20km of new electrified track. It will also the electrification of the Phoenix Park Tunnel along with the wider route, allowing DART trains to operate between Hazelhatch/Celbridge and Connolly station, as well as Heuston station.
The DART+ South West network will be funded by the National Transport Authority under Project Ireland 2040 and the EU Structural Development fund. It is expected to greatly enhance transport for communities in Hazelhatch, Celbridge, Adamstown, Clondalkin and Fonthill, Parkwest and Cherry Orchard, as well as the creation of a new station at Heuston West and Drumcondra.
Chief Executive of Irish Rail Jim Meade said: “Today is a great day for the communities of North Kildare and South Dublin, and the provision of DART services will transform commuting for the existing and new communities along this railway corridor. It will make travelling with us more sustainable, more frequent and more reliable.
"This is the second DART+ project to submit a railway order, with DART+ Coastal North & South to follow. The DART+ programme, when delivered will truly revolutionise commuting in the Greater Dublin Area and assist in meeting Ireland’s climate action targets by reducing reliance on the private car and providing sustainable high frequency, high capacity transport."
Meanwhile, Anne Graham, CEO of the National Transport added that the lodging of this application shows that "real progress that is being made" in developing a public transport service that will meet the transport requirements of people in the Dublin region for years and decades to come.
For more information and to view the application and other documents visit www.dartsouthwestrailwayorder.ie
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