Iarnród Éireann gets first of 223 new trains

The first new train carriages for intercity use in the Republic in 20 years are due to begin arriving at Dublin Docks this morning.

The 67-carriage order marks the beginning of a three-year process that will see Iarnród Éireann's Intercity fleet go from being the oldest in western Europe to one of the most modern. Some 223 carriages are on order, at a cost of € 460 million. The first carriages will be used to provide an hourly service between Dublin and Cork.

With the exception of the Enterprise service to Belfast, the new carriages are the first to be bought since the arrival of the "supertrain" in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The new carriages will also see the phasing out of the "Craven" carriages in service on the Sligo line, which date from 1960. Delivery of the first 67 carriages will be completed by 2006, at a cost of €117 million.

In addition to the hourly frequency to Cork, improvements will include hourly services to Limerick and Galway (peak-time), as well as better services between Dublin and both Waterford and Sligo.

There will additionally be improved shuttle and commuter services on selected routes.