CIE has signed a £23 million contract with GEC Alsthom Transporte (GECAT) to buy 27 new diesel rail cars. The rail cars will be built in Barcelona, Spain.

GECAT is the Spanish subsidiary of the Paris based GEC group. Delivery is expected from December 997 with the final trains arriving by January 1999.

The new railcarsare aimed at attracting more commuters to the Iarnrod Eireann system which carried 25 million passengers last year. Iarnrod Eireann says the new commuter trains will be a more luxurious version of the existing arrow trains.