Project Specific FAQs

The majority of proposed works and interventions are expected to be carried out within the existing railway corridor boundary. Some works relating to the provision of new electrical substations, bridge modifications, and construction compounds have been identified as being required outside of the existing boundary.

Details of locations where works are required outside of the existing railway corridor, such as at substations or construction compound locations, can be found in the Public Consultation No.2 published supporting documentation available through the project website www.dartplus.ie. Relevant documents include:

• DART+ Coastal North Brochure;
• DART+ Coastal North Option Selection - Preferred Option Report; and
• Annex 1 Schematic Layout Drawings.

If your property is likely to be directly affected by the works you should already have heard from us. Our Community Liaison Officer will be available throughout the process to ensure you are regularly updated on the current proposals and your views are taken into consideration as we progress the design.

A detailed construction strategy has been prepared, which includes programming, phasing and construction methodologies for the proposed DART+ Coastal North project works and information in respect of the proposed construction strategy is provided in the Public Consultation No.2 supporting documentation, available on the project website at www.dartplus.ie. This strategy has been developed in close consultation with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) team, to ensure that construction impacts are clearly identified and avoided or minimised where possible. A Construction Environmental Management Plan and Traffic Impact Assessment is being prepared to accompany the RO application, setting out the measures to be taken during construction to ensure against significant effects on the environment. The construction impacts will be comprehensively analysed and assessed in the Environmental Impact Assessment Report and in the Appropriate Assessment documentation, to provide sufficient information for the competent authority to reach its reasoned conclusions on the potential effects of the project on the environment, and on European sites.

The proposed changes to the Howth Branch will facilitate an increase in both DART service frequency and capacity, along with improvements to the reliability of timetabling and service operation. Operational benefits linked to the infrastructural upgrades will allow for greater operational flexibility and optimisation of services on the Howth Branch. 

The current level crossing barrier opening and closing timings have been used to inform a traffic model assessing the effects on vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. Detailed assessment of the four existing level crossings along the Howth Branch Line has concluded that these level crossings can continue to operate and provide an appropriate level of cross connectivity and accessibility whilst still meeting the increased DART service frequency requirement. The increased frequency of level crossing closures will result in a greater likelihood of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists being required to queue at the crossings, however, the traffic modelling and sensitivity analysis has shown that queue lengths are likely to remain within the available queueing road space in all cases. Based on the assessments carried out to date, additional infrastructural interventions at the four level crossings are not considered necessary. 

The impacts on traffic surrounding the Howth Branch level crossings have been assessed using LinSig modelling software. LinSig is an industry standard software tool which allows traffic engineers to model traffic signals and their effect on traffic capacities and queuing. This was used to investigate the impacts of the barrier closures on the surrounding road network and further details are included in Annex 3.7 Appendix B of the published material which is available through the project website https://www.dartplus.ie/en-ie/projects/dart-north.

The traffic data used in the level crossing assessments was based on surveys carried out in May 2022. These included classified vehicle junction turning count surveys over a 14-hour time period between 0600 and 2000 at the junctions within the study area and also at the level crossings within the study area. The data also included queue length surveys and pedestrian count surveys. The AM peak hour was determined to occur between 0800 and 0900 and the PM peak hour between 1730 and 1830 (refer to Annex A). These are the busiest periods on the road network and the impact of the proposed level crossing closures was therefore assessed for these time periods. Historical traffic data (2018/2019) was available at some of the junctions adjacent to the Kilbarrack and Sutton level crossings and a comparison of the most recent traffic data (2022) and the historic traffic data (2018/2019) has shown that traffic levels observed in the recent surveys have, to a large extent, returned to pre-Covid levels in the study area. The most recent 2022 traffic count data were therefore considered a suitable data source for the assessment.

The effects of any changes to traffic patterns will be fully assessed as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) and it should also be noted that the EIAR accompanying the Railway Order application will include a comprehensive assessment of potential air quality and climate impacts resulting from the proposed DART+ Coastal North development.

DART+ Coastal North is seeking to increase the frequency and capacity of train services between Drogheda and Dublin City Centre, inclusive of the Howth Branch Line. This can be achieved by introducing electrified, high-capacity DART trains and increasing the frequency of these trains. Delivery of this project will support the existing communities along the railway and support future sustainable development. DART+ Coastal North will serve all existing stations along the route using electrical power that has a lower carbon footprint than the existing diesel trains. The frequency and quality of service will provide a viable transport alternative to communities along the route and will encourage people to switch from private car use. This will assist in Ireland reducing transport related greenhouse gas emissions and help combat climate change. The electrification of the rail line will predominantly follow the existing railway corridor and works will mostly be carried out within the extents of the existing railway corridor.

It is important to note that the DART+ Coastal North Project will deliver rail infrastructure which will enable the proposed increased frequency and capacity of rail services between Drogheda, Howth, and Dublin City Centre. The project will also deliver improved reliability of services on both the Northern and Howth Lines. 

Whilst the technical characteristics of the new DART+ Fleet are still being finalised, modelling completed to date suggests expected DART journey times between Drogheda and Dublin Connolly during peak periods would take circa 53 minutes. It is worth noting that the DART+ Coastal North project will deliver the infrastructure to enable the maximum level of service on the Northern Line and future journey times and/or timetables have yet to be developed and will be sensitive to a variety of influencing factors.

Timetables will be developed based on some DART trains stopping at all stations between Drogheda and Dublin City Centre, and others operating on a skip stopping pattern, similar to the existing stopping pattern on Northern Commuter services. Also, there will be different phases of timetable development that will be gradually introduced as the project builds towards the maximum level of service. The operational detail behind each of these phases will be determined through the timetable decisions at those times. Any substantial timetable change will go through a Public Consultation process of its own organised by the NTA known as the Timetable Customer Consultation Process.

Actual journey times, and timetables, for DART services originating from Drogheda will vary depending on the stopping patterns of DART services implemented in the future, of which there are many variations and options to consider. Timetables will be developed based on some DART trains stopping at all stations between Drogheda and Dublin City Centre, and others operating on a skip stopping pattern. 

At certain times, operating an Enterprise service during a peak period may result in an extended journey time for Enterprise services. This does however allow Iarnrod Eireann to maximise the Northern Line track capacity, through the implementation of the DART+ Coastal North project. Factors including the output from the ongoing Enterprise Fleet Replacement Project, the improved acceleration and braking provided by the new DART+ Fleet, and the stopping patterns of DART services implemented on the Northern Line will all influence and inform future journey times.

The main objectives of the DART+ Coastal North project include delivering the infrastructure to enable a higher frequency, higher capacity, reliable, electrified route to enable an increased DART service frequency between Drogheda and Dublin City Centre. Further information can be found in the project brochure or the project website.