Increased capacity on Northen Line Trains

Date: 22/10/2010
Posted by: Darragh

I welcome the confirmation from Irish Rail that almost all commuter trains running on the Northern Line have an increased capacity of eight carriages.

Following a number of complaints received about the early morning train service I have raised this matter with Irish Rail and they have confirmed that they are increasing capacity to eight carriages on a number trains.

The 7.27am service from Balbriggan has recently been increased to eight carriages. At my request Irish Rail has also confirmed that the 7.11am departure from Dundalk, which arrives at Balbriggan at 7.50am, will be increased to eight carriages in the near future.

Irish Rail currently has all available commuter trains in service at present and I appreciate that demand remains high. However the company's fleet will be boosted during 2011 as more Intercity railcar trains are under construction at the moment. This will free up some Commuter carriages and alleviate pressure on services such as the Northern line. Irish Rail has confirmed to me that capacity will be further increased in 2011.

As a commuter myself I am fully aware of the importance of the train service to the local communities and that the stations at Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush/Lusk and Donabate continue to experience high demand. The demand though is a testament to the investment that has been made in the service over a long number of years and I hope to see that continue as best we can.

I will continue to monitor this situation and welcome any feedback from commuters on their views and experiences of the service.