NEW EU FUNDING will allow for quicker train journeys between Dublin and Belfast and the acquisition of eight new trains on the route. 

Both Iarnród Éireann and Translink in Northern Ireland have welcomed the €165 million in funding from the EU’s PeacePlus programme.

PeacePlus is a cross-border funding programme supported by the European Union that aims to “support peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland”.

The funding of €165 million comes on the back of a recent €12.5 million allocation by the Irish government towards the rail service between Dublin and Belfast.

The Enterprise train service has provided a public transport link along the Dublin to Belfast economic corridor for more than 75 years.

The funding will see the existing four train sets replaced with eight new, sustainable trains which will provide for an hourly timetable and a reduced journey time between Dublin and Belfast of 1 hour and 55 minutes. 

Most journeys currently take around 2 hours and 15 minutes, and the quicktest route takes around 2 hours and 5 minutes. 

The procurement of the new trains is expected to be completed over the coming year, with a view to the new trains being in operation by 2029.

The PeacePlus programme has a total value to the island of Ireland of around €1.14 billion over the next five years and the programme was one of the items discussed as a North South Ministerial Council in Co Armagh yesterday. 

The funding is also aimed at moving rail services on the island to a fully-electrified model with the goal of hitting net-zero carbon emissions.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said the “replacement programme is a key priority of both Governments” and remarked that it will “significantly improve accessibility between the two largest cities on the island”.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said that the development will “create unique and exciting opportunities for both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland alike”.

The chief executive of Iarnród Éireann Jim Meade said both rail services are “hugely ambitious” and that the funding will enable people to travel sustainably.

Elsewhere, the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira said the funding “will help the local communities grow and create opportunities, while delivering on the net zero carbon emissions goal”. 

The Dublin-Belfast route is expected to grow to over four million by the end of the decade, with more than one million journeys being recorded in 2022.