A late-night DART service is to operate in the run-up to Christmas and Iarnrod Eireann is hopeful it will operate over the Millennium period as well. The first new carriages for the service are due to begin operating on December 23rd and it is expected to begin a limited service to Greystones in February.
All of these initiatives follow a breakthrough in the long-running dispute between the company and DART drivers over the extension of DART services to Greystones and the direct recruitment of new trainee drivers. The settlement was based on the Labour Court recommendation of last August, which gives drivers lump sums of £8,000 each.
Details of the late-night service are expected to be announced later today, but it is understood extra DART trains will leave Dublin city centre at midnight, 1 a.m. and 1.30 a.m. on nine days in the lead-up to Christmas. These are: tomorrow, Friday and Saturday of this week; Thursday, Friday and Saturday of next week and Monday, December 20th, Tuesday, December 21st and Wednesday, December 22nd. The last trains will leave from Connolly station (southbound) and Pearse station (northbound) each night. However, as usual, there will be no DART service on Christmas Day or St Stephen's Day.
The director of human resources at Iarnrod Eireann, Mr John Keenan, confirmed yesterday that agreement had been reached with the drivers' unions, SIPTU and the National Bus and Railworkers Union, on new Christmas schedules and extension of the DART service to Greystones. He was hopeful they would also accept the company's offer for working the Millennium.
On the question of extending the service to Greystones, Mr Keenan said training of new drivers would begin tomorrow and would conclude in 16 weeks. Existing DART drivers had agreed to test drive the Bray to Greystones route and a limited service would be in place by February. "A full service should be in place shortly after that," he said.
"I'm very pleased the impasse has been resolved and we are now significantly closer to bringing DART services to the community of Greystones as planned."
One remaining problem is to negotiate with the ancillary grades such as overhead line gangs, electricians, traffic controllers, train maintenance and permanent way operatives who comprise about 70 company employees. They are also seeking compensation for extending the service. However, Mr Keenan is confident these negotiations can be concluded relatively quickly.
Drivers have been offered a day's pay, plus a day off, plus double time for working between 1 a.m. and 10 p.m. on New Year's Eve. If they work between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. they will receive treble time and quadruple time if they work between 8 p.m. on New Year's Eve and 6 a.m. on New Year's Day. Treble time will operate between 6 a.m. on New Year's Day and 10 a.m. For the rest of the day double time will operate.
Meanwhile, the first pair of 26 new carriages for the DART line are due to come into operation on December 23rd.