Iarnród Éireann hails €400m railcars

"It is not what we are used to," commented onlookers as the first of Iarnród Éireann's new €400 million fleet of sleek, inter-city railcars went into service at Connolly Station, Dublin yesterday.

Together with a previous order of 67 carriages now operating on the Cork-Dublin route, the latest fleet will "transform Ireland's Intercity rail fleet from the oldest in the European Union to the newest", said a beaming Iarnród Éireann spokesman.

The new railcars which went into service on the Sligo line will replace commuter railcars - also new but less comfortable - which are being used on long distance routes like Dublin-Sligo and Dublin-Rosslare.

The new fleet of 183 railcars are different from a traditional train in that they have integral diesel engines, as opposed to being pulled by a locomotive.

But the differences do not stop there for passengers who remember a more "traditional" service on the Sligo line.

Automatic, wheelchair accessible doors lead to a bright clean interior with most seats set in a "bay" style around a full size table. While some seats are in rows, facing the back of those in front, they enjoy "airline-style" fold-down tables and all seats have power for laptop computers.

Indeed such was the passengers' delight with the new train at Connolly Station that it was left to CIÉ chairman Dr John Lynch to take care of the Christmas grumble: "They were a long time coming," he said. But he added quickly that the new Intercity fleet will be the "greenest diesel fleet in Europe", with the lowest levels of sulphur emissions.

Iarnród Éireann's new fleet already meets the EU emission limits for nitrous oxides (2.0g/kw/h), a limit which will not be enforced until 2012.

They also meet the limit for soot particles, of 0.2g/kw/h, which will be enforced from 2009.

Waiting for a go in the driver's cab were Alex Lin (7) of Rathfarnham and Briany Elliott (6), who were dutifully photographed at the controls with Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey.

Mr Dempsey, who said he was very pleased with the fleet, had arrived at Connolly Station by Luas. Speaking to reporters he urged people to use public transport over the holiday period. Noting that commuters to Dublin now had a "top quality public transport system in which to make the three-hour journey to Sligo in comfort", he said he hoped people would use it and reduce motor traffic on the roads.