MYSTIC VALLEY RAILWAY SOCIETY

LINES FROM IRELAND

by James Scannell

February 2023 to April2023

On March 22nd Iarnród Éireann lodged a DART+ South West Railway Order application with An Bord Pleanála [The Irish Planning Board] to seek permission to extend the electrified DART network from Hazelhatch and Celbridge to Heuston Station and the South city via the Phoenix Park Tunnel.
The statutory public consultation period commenced on March 29th and will run for a period of seven weeks until May 16th Following the DART+West Railway Order (Maynooth/M3 Parkway to Dublin) being lodged with An Bord Pleanála in July 2022, DART+ South West is the second line in the DART+ Program to reach this stage.
Funded by the National Transport Authority, under Project Ireland 2040, the DART+ South West will provide a greatly enhanced and more sustainable transport option for communities in Hazelhatch and Celbridge, Adamstown, Clondalkin and Fonthill, Parkwest, and Cherry Orchard, a new station at Heuston West and Drumcondra. This will be achieved through infrastructure works resulting in higher frequencies and electrification, and new trains, to increase passenger capacity from the current 5,000 to 20,000 per hour per direction. The design phase of the project was supported by a grant from the EU Structural Development Fund.
The planned infrastructure improvements include:
20km of electrification and re-signalling of the Hazelhatch and Celbridge Line to Heuston and the south city via Phoenix Park Tunnel
Construction of a new station at Heuston West to serve the community of Clancy Quay and Island Bridge
Four-tracking of the rail line from Park West and Cherry Orchard Station to Heuston to enhance capacity
All civil, bridge and ancillary works as necessary to accommodate the project
Upgrading of the Phoenix Park Tunnel New electric DART carriages for the DART+ Programme will be deployed on Hazelhatch and Celbridge services There have previously been two rounds of non-statutory public consultation on this project, with revisions to the proposals arising from feedback received. These changes included the provision of a new station at Heuston West.
Potentially directly impacted landowners and occupiers within the lands referenced in the Railway Order Application were contacted directly in advance of the lodgment of the Order on March 22nd.
Subject to receiving An Bord Pleanála approval and funding allocation it is anticipated that construction will commence in 2025 and be completed in late 2029.
Irish Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan T.D. [Congressman], was at Dublin’s Inchicore Railway Works on March 29th for a preview of a life-size sample prototype of a new DART+ fleet carriage developed by manufacturers Alstom as part of the final phase of the design process. Throughout the process, from procurement to development phases, there was ongoing customer and driver consultation using focus groups. In total, 185 of the new carriages have been ordered to date, with delivery commencing in 2024 and entering service from 2025.
The prototype located in Inchicore Works demonstrates key new fleet features -
Prioritisation of independent access, with low-height doorway thresholds on all carriages equipped with an automatic retractable step and offering the potential for unassisted level access from suitable platforms, aligned with platform enhancements. In addition, improved dedicated wheelchair spaces will be provided.
Improved facilities for families and for cyclists, with dedicated family areas, and bike areas.
Enhanced customer information, with large, high-resolution onboard displays providing real-time updates, including information from other public transport systems in the Transport for Ireland network, and other features designed for the needs of sensory impaired customers. The displays include features such as indicators for customers on busier areas of the train, advance notice of which side to exit the train.
Charging facilities throughout for connected customers on the move.
An advanced CCTV system with cameras throughout every carriage, to enhance safety and security for customers and employees. Comfortable individual seating, reflecting longer distances which the DART+ fleet will operate, designed following customer focus group testing.

News from Britain
Centenary of the Flying Scotsman steam locomotive
Famous British steam locomotive ‘The Flying Scotsman first entered service on February 23rd 1923 and broke records by hauling the first non-stop London to Edinburgh, Scotland, service in 1928 and became Britain’s first locomotive to officially reach a speed of 100 m.p.h .six years later. Considered the world’s most famous steam train, it has amassed crowds worldwide during tours throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. On February 23rd 2023 the occasion was marked by a special event at Edinburgh Waverley station with dancing and poetry.Poet laureate Simon Armitage read out a poem called ‘The Making Of The Flying Scotsman’ to celebrate its 100th anniversary year. Dancers from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society performed ‘The Flying Scotsman’ and the event was rounded off with a set by rock band the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. The train will spend the remainder of this year travelling across Britain to allow as many people as possible to see it.
The 97-tonne locomotive, costing US$32000 to build in 1923,was designed by Edinburgh-born Sir Nigel Gresley, built in Doncaster, and was among the first 4-6-2 Gresley Pacifics created for the London and North Eastern Railway [LNER] and is the only locomotive of the class that has been preserved to the present day. The 70ft locomotive retired from regular service in 1963 after covering more than two million miles. It changed hands between steam preservation enthusiasts before becoming a working exhibit at the National Railway Museum in York in 2004. During its retirement from LNER, it toured throughout the United States and Canada from 1969 until 1973 and Australia in 1988 and 1989.

HS2 line between Birmingham and Crewe delayed by two years (March 9th)
British Transport secretary Mark Harper announced in early March that the Birmingham to Crewe leg of the HS2 high speed railroad will be delayed by two years to cut costs, blaming soaring prices and said he was “committed” to the line linking London, the Midlands and North of England. HS2 has been beset by delays and cost rises. In 2010, it was expected to cost US$45 bn but is now expected to be US$90bn.Mr Harper said “significant inflationary pressure” and increased project costs meant the government was to “re-phase construction by two years” but that it was part of “controlling inflation and reducing government debt”. The project is grappling with the rising cost of materials due to the high rate of inflation with the government hoping s that the delays will allow it to spread the cost over a longer period of time, making it more affordable by reducing annual expenditure.

Derby chosen as location for new Great British Railways rail HQ
Towards the end of March is was announced that Derby would be the location for the headquarters of Great British Railways (GBR), the new public body will own the rail infrastructure, procure passenger services and set most fares and timetables. Doncaster, York, Birmingham, Crewe and Newcastle-uponTyne were also on the final shortlist of possible locations. The selection criteria included alignment to transport connections, railway heritage and value for money.
In May 2021, former Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced plans for GBR to be set up, saying it would replace an HYPERLINK “https://www. bbc.co.uk/news/business-57176858” “overcomplicated and fragmented” system and was due to be launched early next year but this date has been delayed.
Derby is already home to Britain’s largest train factory, which employs about 2,000 people, and the former Railway Technical Centre in the south-east of the city - currently a business park - has been earmarked as a potential site for the headquarters.

London to Edinburgh train service named for King Charles III
The LNER’s daily 11 a.m. train from King’s Cross, London to Edinburgh Waverley, Scotland, will be known as the Carolean Express and will be launched on the east coast line on coronation day, Saturday May 6th . The weekday Flying Scotsman service runs in the opposite direction to London. The reign of King Charles III will be known as the Carolean period, the same name as the eras of Charles I and II.

Man jailed for attempting to throw woman in front of Tube at King’s Cross, London
A man who drunkenly tried to throw a woman in front of a Tube train on August 29th last year as she travelled to Notting Hill Carnival was sentenced to 10 years in prison on April 24th at London Inner Crown Court after pleading guilty to attempted murder and will serve up to two thirds of his sentence in custody.