City Centre Resignalling Project
The City Centre Resignalling Project was provided for under the capital investment programme for transport, and was completed in late 2020. The design and planning of this project was funded by the Irish Government through the National Transport Authority and was also part-funded by the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency of the European Commission. The project was set to meet future demand for rail transport by increasing the capacity and frequency of trains through Dublin City Centre.
The project provided Iarnród Éireann with the ability to operate 20 trains in both directions through the Howth Junction to Grand Canal Dock line, which caters for Howth DART's, Malahide DART's, Northern Commuter trains, Belfast Enterprise services, Sligo Intercity and Maynooth commuter services, as well as other services in the Connolly to Grand Canal Dock area. Signalling on train lines regulate the safe movement of trains, and before the project the system’s capacity stood at 12 trains per hour each way.
The Project also took in to consideration the need to modernise signalling equipment. Computer based interlocking was used to replace the existing Relay based signalling systems in Howth, Howth Junction, Killester, Dublin Connolly and Dubln Pearse.
The project was executed in four phases:
- First phase of the project covered the section between Malahide/Howth to Killester
- Second phase of the project covered Killester to East Wall Junction
- Third phase covered the section between Connolly and Sandymount
- The fourth phase was the Connolly Station yard
Benefits
The new signalling system will bring major benefits to our customers:
- Increased number of trains during peak hours
- Improved performance of Level Crossings giving longer road opening times
- Improved punctuality due to the modernisation of signalling
- Uninterruptible power supplies to ensure higher reliability
- The new signalling system will facilitate the track layout modifications for the DART
- Underground and Maynooth and Northern Line electrification projects
Facts
The resignalling project ran between Malahide/Howth station and Sandymount. (Length of 21.6 km) The project cost in the region of Є120 million. The project work was completed with minimum disruption to services and to residents living adjacent to the line.
The design and planning of this project was funded by the Irish Government and was also part-funded by the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency of the European Commission.
For More Information on the project please contact:
Programme Manager, SET
Iarnród Éireann
Track & Signals HQ
Inchicore
Dublin 8