Rail Network Dail Éireann — 2026-01-13 ============================================================ Alan Dillon (FG), Mayo On behalf of the Minister for Transport I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address the House on this issue tonight. The DART+ programme comprises five different projects in and around the greater Dublin area. It will extend the existing network from the city centre to Maynooth, M3 Parkway, Hazelhatch and Celbridge, and Drogheda, and will improve current DART services from the city centre to Greystones. The programme will triple the length of the electrified network and will double city centre capacity from 26,000 passengers per hour per direction to 52,000 during peak hours. DART+ South West will extend DART services from the city centre to Hazelhatch and Celbridge, including four-tracking from Park West to Heuston Station. An Coimisiún Pleanála approved a railway order for DART+ South West in November 2024. In addition, procurement for DART+ South West and DART+ West is progressing with pre-qualification questionnaire notices for design and build works advertised in May 2025. The NDP transport sectoral investment plan provides an investment of €22.3 billion of Exchequer funding to the transport sector from 2026 to 2030, along with an additional allocation of €2 billion from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund to support the development of MetroLink. Of this total allocation, funding in the region of €10 billion is being provided for public transport infrastructure plus €2 billion for MetroLink over the period from 2026 to 2030. The funding under the NDP transport sectoral investment plan will see significant advancements made in a number of public transport projects, including various elements of the DART+ programme including DART+ West. This funding will also allow compulsory purchase orders to progress DART+ South West and will provide the procurement process for the project with some of framework contracts being established in common with DART+ West and DART+ South West. It is important to state that, following on from the initial investment in the DART+ fleet, DART+ West was always recognised as the critical step for the DART+ programme which will help to enable DART+ South West and indeed the other infrastructure projects of the programme to develop for a number of reasons. These include the new depot in the Maynooth-Kilcock area to be delivered as part of the DART+ West project, providing essential stabling and maintenance facilities for the expanded fleet for the entire DART+ programme which is a prerequisite for supporting a service pattern across the entire DART+ network, including DART+ South West. DART+ West will deliver the critical electrification of the city centre rail network and the necessary city centre capacity upgrades. This is a prerequisite for future trains coming from the DART+ South West to enter the city centre network at Glasnevin junction for the Phoenix Park tunnel on the electrified and capacity upgraded rail system. Also, upgrades delivered under DART+ West, such as re-signalling and electrification, are vital for accommodating increased frequency envisaged on the DART+ South West. Finally, the new station for Spencer Dock, included as part of DART+ West, is a key node for future service integration supporting the operational flexibility required for DART+ South West, as several services will be terminated in the new station helping to address capacity issues around Connolly Station. The Department of Transport will continue to explore opportunities for additional funding, including through funding streams such as the European Union's Connecting Europe Facility, CEF, to complement national Exchequer funding, which may allow some projects to proceed to construction earlier than currently anticipated, including DART+ South West. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-13/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-01-13