Project Specific FAQs

A wide range of surveys are required as part of the DART+ Coastal North project. These include, but are not limited to, Topographical Surveys, Ecological and other environmental Surveys, Ground Investigation Surveys.  

Should you have any queries or concerns regarding these surveys please contact the Community Liaison Officer for this Project Garry Keegan at 01 233 4515 or by email at DARTCoastalNorth@irishrail.ie 

The DART+ Coastal North project, as part of the DART+ Programme, will deliver an improved electrified network, with increased passenger capacity and enhanced train service between Dublin City Centre and Drogheda. The project will provide the infrastructure to deliver a planned increase in train frequency from 11 to 24 trains, and a planned increase in passenger capacity from 12,500 to 26,600 passengers, for the new 3-hour AM peak period for inbound / southbound services from Drogheda to Dublin City Centre.  
DART+ Coastal North will provide a sustainable, electrified and a more reliable train service. The electrification of the Northern Line to Drogheda will support building a sustainable and connected City Region and facilitate the transition to a low carbon and climate resilient society. 

The DART+ Coastal North project, as part of the DART+ Programme, will deliver an improved electrified network, with increased passenger capacity and enhanced train service between Dublin City Centre and Howth.  The project will provide the infrastructure to deliver a planned increase in train frequency from 9 to 18 trains, and a planned increase in passenger capacity from 10,800 to 21,600 passengers, for the new 3-hour AM peak period for inbound / southbound services from Howth to Dublin City Centre. 

To achieve the peak capacity increases proposed by the DART+ Programme, DART+ Coastal North will seek to implement a reconfiguration of Howth Junction & Donaghmede Station and the removal of existing train crossing conflicts currently experienced at the station. The Preferred Option will enable the operation of both a DART shuttle service on the Howth Branch line as required, and/or a direct through service to/from Dublin City Centre, allowing for the capacity and frequency of DART+ services on both the Northern, and Howth Branch, lines to be maximised. The removal of crossing conflicts at Howth Junction & Donaghmede Station will also result in a more frequent and reliable Howth Branch DART service with frequency of service potentially doubling to deliver a service every ten minutes each way. The scale of increase in services will vary across the extents of DART+ Coastal North and will be directly dependent on passenger demand over time. 

Should future passenger demand warrant the operation of a DART Shuttle Service on the Howth Branch Line, passengers travelling to/from Dublin City Centre will be required to interchange between services at Howth Junction and Donaghmede Station where a variety of significant modification works are proposed to both improve the passenger experience generally, and to develop the station to better serve as an interchange station. The works will involve modifying the entrances to provide a more accessible, user friendly and customer focused station for all rail users, as well as to improve the connection to the surrounding areas of Donaghmede and Kilbarrack. Upgrades will also take place to the footbridge and connections to the centre platforms, as well as the lighting, signage, and finishes throughout. The interchange at Howth Junction & Donaghmede station will be facilitated by an increase in Northern Line stopping trains which will minimise wait times for connecting services.

At this stage it is too early to say exactly what wait times would be, when interchanging at Howth Junction & Donaghmede Station, or indeed what the exact journey time from stations on the Howth Branch into Dublin City Centre will be. It is expected that sectional journey times (e.g. Bayside to Howth Stations) along the Howth Branch Line will remain similar to current journey times experienced by DART passengers, and that any adjustment to journey times from the Howth Branch into the city centre will be as a result of the interchange between services at Howth Junction & Donaghmede Station which is expected to be minimal. Changes to journey times will be somewhat offset by increased service frequency resulting in more choice for passengers and reduced wait times to commence DART journeys in the first instance. 

It is also important to note that the operation of a DART shuttle service is not something that would come into effect immediately upon the delivery of the DART+ Coastal North project. There will be different phases of timetable development that will be gradually introduced as the project builds towards maximum level of service. The operational detail behind each of these phases has not been worked through at this early stage in the project planning and development. Any substantial timetable change will go through a Public Consultation process of its own organised by the National Transport Authority (NTA) known as the Timetable Customer Consultation Process.

DART+ Coastal North is seeking to extend the existing electrified rail network from Malahide to Drogheda as well as increasing rail capacity on the Northern Line between Dublin City Centre and Drogheda MacBride Station, including the Howth Branch. This increased rail capacity can be achieved by implementing an extended electrified railway network with high-capacity DART trains and an increased frequency of train services. In addition, the DART+ Coastal North project requires that some track modifications are implemented, including the provision of turnback facilities at Malahide, Clongriffin and Howth Junction & Donaghmede Stations. These modifications are essential to facilitate the increase in train services by allowing trains to be turned back clear of continuing services and to allow for a higher frequency and a more reliable service. 

The assessment of the impact of proposed upgrades to the Howth Branch on pedestrians and cyclists at level crossings has shown the change to be slightly positive.  

Further detail on the modelling can be viewed in the PC1 published materials. 

An existing user worked Level Crossing (XB001) located to the south of Donabate Station is to be closed as a part of DART+ Coastal North. This is as a result of the introduction of electrification and increase in train frequency on the Northern Line which significantly increases the safety risks at this level crossing to users of the crossing and to rail traffic. Level crossings on the Howth Branch are not currently expected to close, initial assessment of the four existing level crossings on the Howth Branch line has indicated that these level crossings can continue to operate while still providing a more efficient and optimised service overall.