Trans-Dublin

Trans-Dublin
An IE 8520 Class leads into Dublin Connolly
Overview
Type	Commuter rail, Suburban rail
System	Iarnród Éireann
Status	Operational
Locale	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Termini	Malahide/Howth Bray/Greystones
Stations	31
Services	1
Operation
Opened	23 July 1984
Owner	Iarnród Éireann
Operator(s)	Iarnród Éireann
Depot(s)	Fairview
Rolling stock	8100 Class 8500, 8510 and 8520 Classes
Technical
Line length	53 km
No. of tracks	2-4
Track gauge	1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Electrification	1500V DC
Operating speed	100 mph (160 km/h) maximum

Trans-Dublin
Legend
Malahide Portmarnock Clongriffin Howth Sutton Bayside Howth Junction and Donaghmede Kilbarrack Raheny Harmonstown Killester Clontarf Road Fairview Depot River Tolka Western Commuter & Sligo Line Docklands( Spencer Dock) The Royal Canal Dublin Connolly Luas Red Line to Dublin Heuston Luas Red Line to The Point Loopline Bridge Tara Street Dublin Pearse Grand Canal Dock Lansdowne Road Sandymount Sydney Parade Booterstown Blackrock Seapoint Salthill and Monkstown Dún Laoghaire Mallin Sandycove and Glasthule Glenageary Dalkey Killiney Shankill Bray Daly Greystones

The Trans-Dublin is a railway route serving the city of Dublin and its surrounding areas. The route is used primarily by the DART service, and runs North-South along the east coast of Ireland. The route is divided into two parts over two different railway lines:

• Belfast to Dublin main line - This runs from Dublin Connolly to Belfast Central. The northern section of the Trans-Dublin operates between Dublin Connolly and Howth Junction, where it branches off. The main line continues to Malahide, while a short branch terminates at Howth.
• Dublin to Rosslare main line - This runs from Dublin Connolly to Rosslare Europort. The southern half of the Trans-Dublin runs as far as Greystones in County Wicklow.

The two sections of the route are connected through the centre of Dublin by the Loopline Bridge over the River Liffey between Dublin Connolly and Tara Street.

Future

There was a proposal to construct a railway tunnel under the centre of the city, named DART Underground, to connect Dublin Heuston, Dublin Pearse and Docklands. This would have been used to create two new DART lines. The Northern section would be diverted away from Dublin Connolly to Docklands and then through the new tunnel calling at new underground stations at Dublin Pearse, St Stephen's Green, High Street and Dublin Heuston, where it would connect with the lines to the south and west of Ireland, terminating at Hazelhatch. The Southern section would continue on its existing route as far as Dublin Connolly, where it will then be diverted via the Western Commuter route via Drumcondra to terminate at either Maynooth or M3 Parkway on the Navan branch. The DART Underground project was cancelled on 22 September 2015.

See also

• Thameslink - a similar North-South route through Central London