First of 41 Intercity Carriages Arrive
September 8th 2022
After a protracted process to seek approval the first 3 of 41 additional intercity carriages finally reached Dublin this week. With passenger numbers off-peak having already exceeded 2019 numbers on many routes and continuing to grow in part due the combination of high fuel prices and a 20% reduction in rail fares, these additional carriages are urgently needed.
41 carriages only represents a litte over 6% in additional fleet, but will make an impact addressing capacity issues on multiple routes nationwide.
- 2/3 of intercity trains other than Dublin Belfast will see on average 1 coach more with 68 more seats
- 4 more bike spaces are included in each of the 41 coaches.
- These new carriages feature an low emissions engine and new gearbox which allows the train to accelarate faster.
- The trains are hybrid ready allowing for up to 30% reduction in fuel consumption once the battery packs and new engines are fitted across the existing fleet of 234 carriages.
These new carriages will be added into the existing fleet, so existing 5 coach trains will become 6 and so on.
Further details below
Hybrid details from Rolls Royce MTU the engine supplier link
Details from Irish Rail as to the specification of the new carriages
The drawing showing the new layout onboard
The curious way funding was found, robbing Peter to pay Paul, which will come back to hurt commuters in time.