Irish Rail to hire 100 drivers

Irish Rail is seeking 100 train drivers as it expands its fleet on the back of efforts to boost public transport.

Taxpayer investment will boost the number of trains that the company owns and expand its network around the Republic.

The State-owned company said on Monday that it plans to establish a panel from which it will hire 100 new drivers over the next two years to meet the demand created by this expansion.

Drivers will be based in Dublin, as well as Athlone, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Westport.

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It also intends highlighting the advantage of the posts to women, who have been increasingly joining the company as train drivers in recent years.

Irish Rail pays its drivers on a scale that reaches a maximum of €63,000 a year. Perks include reduced fares on its services while there is a company pension and income continuance and welfare scheme.

The company says that it is ranked as the Republic’s third-best employer and offers real career progression. Chief executive Jim Meade joined as an apprentice.

Irish Rail has ordered 185 new carriages and plans to add 750 over the coming decade.

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The company will treble the size of its Dublin Dart and commuter services, which it will also extend.

It plans to invest in rail services in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford and increase the number of freight trains fivefold.

Mr Meade said new drivers would be joining a growing organisation. “We are also seeing great interest in careers in Iarnród Éireann from a range of backgrounds,” he added.

“We are a diverse and inclusive employer, and in particular we urge more women to apply for driver roles, and are encouraged by the increasing interest from women in recent recruitment drives.”

Drivers who joined in recent years previously worked in airlines, banking, the defence forces and archeology, the company said.