Alstom DART+ X’trapolis order adds 20 trains for Irish Rail

Alstom DART+ X’trapolis order in Ireland has been confirmed through a €160 million contract with Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) to supply new trains for the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) network in the Greater Dublin Area, as reported by Railway Supply.

The agreement provides 100 new EMU carriages, forming 20 X’trapolis five-carriage train sets. Following this purchase, Alstom says the total number of DART+ carriages under construction will reach 285, as outlined in an Alstom press release. The new fleet is intended to replace the original DART trains, which have been in service since 1984, when the network opened.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Alstom X’trapolis trains for the DART network

Production will take place at Alstom’s factory in Chorzów near Katowice in Poland. While the new units are formed as five-car trains, they will be the same length as DART’s current four-carriage train sets. Alstom also states that each new train will have capacity for 100 passengers.

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This is the third Irish Rail DART+ new trains contract that the operator has placed with Alstom. The latest order is expected to replace the 8100 Class rolling stock currently operating on the largely coastal line from Greystones to Malahide and Howth.

Service timeline and maintenance contracts

Irish Rail’s first order with Alstom covered 19 five-carriage train sets, with most due to enter service on the Dublin to Drogheda line from the first half of 2027. A second order will bring 18 additional trains and includes a ten-year maintenance contract, with entry into service planned from 2028.

The latest purchase, meanwhile, includes a 15-year maintenance contract. Together, the three orders sit within a framework agreement that allows for the delivery of up to 750 electric and battery-electric carriages over ten years.

Battery-electric trains and charging at Drogheda

Out of the 185 carriages included in the first two orders, 155 will be battery-electric multiple units (BEMU). These battery-electric trains are to be charged at a charging station that Alstom will build at Drogheda railway station.

Alstom showcased a mock-up of an X’trapolis DART+ carriage at Irish Rail’s Inchicore works in Dublin last March. Separately, the company is also part of a group with John Laing, FCC, Meridiam and RATP Dev that has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to design, construct, finance, maintain and operate Dublin’s MetroLink.

Mary Considine, Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann, described the new purchase as crucial for developing rail services across the Greater Dublin Area. She also highlighted the longevity of the original DART fleet as a reflection of colleagues who have managed and maintained the trains, as well as the durability of electricity-powered rolling stock. She said the new modern fleets will deliver real improvements in customer experience for all DART users across the expanded network under the DART+ Programme, and include major accessibility benefits.

Alstom Managing Director for Ireland Piers Wood said the order for 100 new X’trapolis EMU carriages is another step in the DART+ Programme, retiring the 1984 fleet and introducing a modern, higher-capacity electric train for Greater Dublin.

He added that, together with the battery-electric units already on order, the trains are intended to support more reliable and lower-emission services, improvements to accessibility and onboard information, and efforts to help double rail capacity for the DART while advancing Ireland’s wider decarbonisation goals—points also reflected in an Iarnród Éireann announcement.

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