IRISH RAIL USERS will face some disruption over the next three weeks as works are carried out which will impact services to and through Connolly. 

The disruptions will be caused by the commencement of the final phase of Irish Rail’s major city centre resignalling project, which begins this weekend. 

The €120 million project will result in the resignalling of the Dart network from Howth/Malahide to Sandymount. 

The final phase of the project – covering Killester to Connolly Station, and the wider Connolly Station area, including to Glasnevin Junction on the Maynooth line – will be the most complex stage, according to Irish Rail.  

Service altercations as a result of this phase are as follows: 

Weekends: 24-26 October, 7-8 November, 14/15 November

• Dart services will be suspended between Malahide/Howth and Grand Canal Dock. Bus operators will accept rail tickets. Dart services will operate between Grand Canal Dock and Bray/Greystones only. 
• Maynooth services will operate an hourly service to/from Docklands Station, instead of Connolly, and will not serve Drumcondra Station. 
• M3 Parkway services will be suspended. 
• Northern Commuter services will operate an hourly service to/from Malahide, with bus transfers between Malahide and Connolly. 
• The Enterprise service will operate between Belfast and Drogheda, with bus transfers between Drogheda and Connolly. 
• A revised schedule will operate between Sligo and Maynooth, with bus transfers between Maynooth and Connolly. 
• Services will operate between Rosslare Europort and Bary, with bus transfers between Bray and Connolly. 

Weekdays: 27-30 October, 2-6 November, 9-13 November

• Dart services will operate every 15 minutes, instead of every 10 minutes.
• Drogheda, Maynooth and M3 Parkway services will operate to a revised and reduced schedule. 
• Belfast, Sligo and Rosslare services will operate as normal. 

Weekend of 31 October to 1 November

• Dart services will operate to a normal weekend schedule.
• Northern Commuter services will operate to a normal weekend schedule.
• Maynooth/M3 Parkway services will operate a revised and reduced schedule.

Speaking of the project, Irish Rail chief executive Jim Meade said: “Signalling on railways are the systems which ensure trains can more safely from section to section, and ensures trains are kept clear of each other.

“We are pleased to be completing this crucial project – unfortunately, it does necessitate some disruption in its final phases, but customers can be assured that it will deliver us a modern system that enhances customer safety, and will also ensure we have a system which can cater for the growth planned into the future under Dart+.”

Irish Rail has said the resignalling will result in increased numbers of trains which can operate during peak hours, improved punctuality due to the modernisation of signalling, and uninterruptible power supplies to ensure higher reliability.

The project is being funded by the National Transport Authority and the European Union Connecting Europe Facility.

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