Irish Rail has received their first delivery of new carriages from South Korea this week.
The first three Intercity railcar carriages out of a new batch of 41 that have been ordered have arrived. The transport provider took a delivery at Dublin Port on Wednesday for the first three of 41 carriages, from manufacturers Hyundai Rotem in South Korea.
Funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the Government's National Development Plan, the carriages are expected to enter service following commissioning from early next year. According to Irish Rail, passenger demand continues to remain strong post-Covid. Meanwhile, it said that Intercity demand in particular close to full recovery.
Read more: College Green improvement works to take place ahead of traffic reduction plans
Irish Rail has said it and the NTA will undertake passenger public consultation as part of the process to confirm service enhancements. It also stated that the additional 41 carriages will increase the Hyundai Rotem Intercity railcar fleet operating on the Irish Rail network from 234 carriages to 275 carriages.
It comes as last week it was revealed that Irish Rail may need to invest up to €250 million into railway lines around Dublin and Wicklow due to threats posed by climate change. Barry Kenny, communications manager for Irish Rail, spoke on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne about the proposed investments.
He said that a long term plan is needed to ensure the railway lines remain protected against coastal erosion, which has been occurring at a more rapid rate in the past 20 years.
He said: "It’s about offshore break waters in a lot of locations. You’re talking about taking the power of the sea away from hitting the embankments where the railway line is. Higher rainfall levels are affecting the embankment levels as well."
Mr Kenny also said Irish Rail would consider investing in double tracking outside of the Dublin area to maximise frequency. Ireland currently operates primarily on single tracks for most of our rail services, outside of some double tracking facilities available in Dublin and Cork.
A recent report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) suggests that coastal erosion in the past 20 years has been higher than that recorded in the past century as a whole. The research also revealed that 100 metres of water could potentially move inland onto the Dublin coast by the end of the 21st century, leaving rail tracks at an obvious risk of collapsing.
Read Next:
PrepayPower announce €750 hike in gas and electricity prices
Dublin Christmas lights still going ahead this year despite power cut fears
Dublin jobs: Dublin Bus is hiring a project engineer - and the salary is amazing
Clontarf to city centre cycle project to see bus stops moved or removed along route
Social welfare Ireland: Payments for older people you may not know about
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox
