Upcoming Line Improvement Works
12 December 2024
Here you will find a complete list of planned engineering works and changes to Iarnród Éireann rail services.
- Upcoming Line Improvement Works
- Preview of Upcoming Major works
- Night-time Track Works
- Accessibility on Iarnród Éireann Services
- Catering on Rail Iarnród Éireann Services
- Bus Transfer Arrangements
- How can I reserve a seat on an Iarnród Éireann Service?
Upcoming Line Improvement Works
Upcoming Line Improvements
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Ballybrophy Services
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Belfast Services
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Cobh and Midleton Commuters
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Cork, Limerick and Tralee Services
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DART Services
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Maynooth, Longford and Sligo Services
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Northern Commuters
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Portlaoise Commuters
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Rosslare Services
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Waterford Services
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Galway and Westport Services
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Western Rail Corridor (Limerick to Galway)
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Waterford to Limerick
Major works preview 2025
With record investment in our rail network under the National Development Plan, Iarnród Éireann is currently undertaking a range of projects, as well as essential maintenance, right across our lines.
Major projects which will be progressed this year include:
- Cork Area Commuter Rail projects, including twin-tracking of the Midleton line, a new platform in Kent Station, and resignalling works which - together - will treble the capacity for Cork commuter rail services
- Works on the new Ceannt Station, Galway, and relocated Plunkett Station, Waterford
- The beginning of enabling works for DART+ West, on the Maynooth and M3 Parkway lines
- DART+ works for recharging facilities for new trains at Drogheda
- Systems testing for our new National Train Control Centre
- Continuing overhead line renewal works on the DART network
- Construction work on the new Woodbrook DART Station in south Dublin, opening in summer 2025
- Track renewal work, bridge replacemement, points and crossing renewals and other essential infrastructure maintenance and renewal works in a range of locations
While the vast majority of works take place overnight, or in a way that sees little or no disruption to services, in some instances disruption is unavoidable. In particular, this will happen if we’re replacing or improving essential infrastructure like tracks, bridges, signalling, overhead lines, or helping third parties with major plans.
So we need to plan these works to deliver improvements to our customers, but there can be unavoidable disruption too. We work to ensure that any such disruption is minimised, and that the number of customers affected is minimised too.
We do this in a number of ways:
- We try to ensure that our busiest lines are unaffected at the busiest times, so weekday works, and particularly at peak, are avoided
- We work to plan the works which must happen, and look at events which take place around the country too. Major sports, music, cultural and other entertainment is always considered. This poses challenges – we’re busier with works than ever before, but there are more events than ever before too
- We choose selected Bank Holiday weekends to undertake projects of significant scale – the extra weekend day allows us to achieve more progress more efficiently, while avoiding impacting those crucial weekday customers. We don’t schedule works at St Patrick’s weekend, which is particularly important for tourism. However, the new February (St Brigid’s Bank Holiday), Easter, and the May, June and October Bank Holidays, and occasionally the August Bank Holiday, are often used for works
So, while we will have other works which may affect individual services, or late evening / early morning services in some instances, this is the current schedule (as of 15th January 2025) of major disruptive works up to 21st September 2025. Further dates will be added shortly. This is subject to further change (for example, works programmes revisions or confirmations, new events or additional investment funding can result in revisions).
Bold indicates extended works, including weekday impacts; italic indicates Translink works.
Dates | Line Closed | Works | Services Affected |
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6th January to 10th December (Mondays to Wednesdays - 20:00hrs onwards, excluding Bank Holiday Mondays) |
Glounthaune to Midleton |
Track works for new second track |
Glounthaune to Midleton |
25th to 26th January |
Connolly to Drogheda |
Track renewal and maintenance |
Northside DART, Northern Commuter, Belfast Enterprise |
27th to 29th January, 4th to 5th & 10th to 12th February (20:00hrs onwards) |
Cork to Cobh |
Cuttings & embankments works |
Cork to Cobh/Midleton |
2nd February - evening only (St Brigid's Bank Holiday Sunday) |
Athenry to Galway |
New station points and crossings work |
Dublin to Galway, Limerick to Galway |
8th & 22nd February - evenings only |
Portarlington to Athlone |
Track renewal and bridge maintenance |
Dublin to Galway, Dublin to Westport |
15th to 16th February |
Cork to Cobh/Midleton |
Cuttings & embankments works, bridge maintenance |
Cork to Cobh/Midleton |
15th to 16th February |
Dun Laoghaire to Bray |
Track renewal |
Southside DART, Rosslare Intercity |
16th February |
Mallow to Cork |
New platform and track works |
Dublin to Cork, Tralee to Cork, Cork to Mallow |
1st & 29th March - evenings only |
Mallow to Cork |
Signalling works |
Dublin to Cork, Tralee to Cork, Cork to Mallow |
9th March - morning only |
Portarlington to Athlone |
Track renewal |
Dublin to Galway, Dublin to Westport |
22nd March & 5th April - evenings only |
Newbridge to Portarlington, and Portarlington to Athlone |
Track renewal, ballast cleaning |
All Dublin Heuston Intercity routes; Portlaoise to Dublin Commuter |
12th to 13th April |
Mallow to Killarney |
Track lowering and bridge renewal |
Mallow to Tralee |
19th to 21st April (Easter weekend) |
Clontarf Road to Newry |
Track renewal, signalling commissioning, overhead line renewal, points & crossing renewals |
Northside DART, Northern Commuter, Belfast Enterprise |
20th April - evening only |
Newbridge to Portarlington |
Track renewal |
All Dublin Heuston Intercity routes; Portlaoise to Dublin Commuter |
22nd to 24th April - daytime only |
Ennis to Limerick |
Ballast cleaning |
Ennis to Limerick, Galway to Limerick |
26th to 27th April |
Bray to Rosslare |
NTCC System testing |
Bray to Greystones DART, Rosslare Intercity |
26th April - evening only |
Athlone to Ballinasloe |
Ballast cleaning |
Dublin to Galway |
3rd to 4th May - May Bank Holiday |
Cork to Mallow |
Cork rail tunnel works |
Cork to Mallow, Cork to Dublin, Cork to Tralee |
3rd to 5th May - May Bank Holiday |
Grand Canal Dock to Greystones |
Track renewals, bridge maintenance, Bray Head coastal defence, overhead line renewal |
Southside DART, Dublin to Rosslare |
17th to 18th May |
Cork to Cobh/Midleton |
CACR signalling works, track renewal |
Cork to Cobh/Midleton |
17th May - evening only |
Newbridge to Portarlington, and Portarlington to Athlone |
Track renewal, ballast cleaning |
All Dublin Heuston Intercity routes; Portlaoise to Dublin Commuter |
24th May and 7th June - evening only |
Cork to Mallow |
CACR signalling works |
Cork to Mallow, Cork to Dublin, Cork to Tralee |
31st May to 2nd June - June Bank Holiday |
Connolly to Blackrock |
Track renewal, bridge maintenance, level crossing renewal |
Southside DART, Dublin to Rosslare |
7th and 21st June - evenings only |
Ballinasloe to Athenry |
Track renewal |
Dublin to Galway |
14th June |
Manulla Jctn to Ballina |
Bridge maintenance |
Manulla to Ballina |
28th June - evening only |
Castlerea to Ballyhaunis |
Ballast cleaning |
Dublin to Westport/Ballina |
28th to 29th June |
Limerick to Ennis |
Bridge maintenance |
Limerick to Ennis, Limerick to Galway |
28th June |
Portlaoise to Thurles |
Track renewal, bridge maintenance |
Dublin to Cork/ Kerry / Limerick |
5th July |
Mallow to Tralee |
Bridge maintenance |
Mallow to Tralee, Dublin to Tralee |
12th July |
Grand Canal Dock to Bray |
Track renewal |
Southside DART, Dublin to Rosslare |
12th July - evening only |
Cork to Mallow |
CACR signalling works |
Cork to Mallow, Cork to Dublin, Cork to Tralee |
2nd to 4th August (August Bank Holiday) |
Malahide to Drogheda |
Track renewal |
Northern Commuter, Belfast Enterprise |
2nd to 4th August (August Bank Holiday) |
Glounthaune to Midleton |
Track works for new second track |
Cork to Midleton |
2nd August |
Ballyhaunis to Roscommon |
Bridge renewal |
Dublin to Westport/Ballina |
3rd August |
Cork to Cobh |
CACR signalling works |
Cork to Cobh |
9th August - evening only |
Athlone to Ballinasloe / Roscommon |
Points & crossing renewal |
Dublin to Galway/Westport |
9th to 10th August |
Mallow to Tralee |
NTCC System testing |
Mallow to Tralee, Dublin to Tralee |
9th to 10th August |
Kildare to Waterford |
NTCC System testing |
Dublin to Waterford |
22nd August (12:00hrs) to 25th August (16:00hrs) |
Clonmel to Carrick-on-Suir |
Bridge maintenance |
Waterford to Limerick Junction |
23rd to 24th August |
Cork to Mallow |
CACR signalling works |
Cork to Mallow, Cork to Dublin |
23rd August - evening only |
Claremorris to Westport |
Ballast cleaning |
Dublin to Westport/Ballina |
30th to 31st August |
Connolly to Clontarf Road |
Crossover renewal |
Northside DART |
30th August - evening only |
Ballyhaunis to Westport |
Points & crossing renewal |
Dublin to Westport/Ballina |
30th August, 13th & 27th September, 11th October |
Nenagh branch |
Bridges maintenance |
Limerick to Ballybrophy (via Nenagh) |
6th & 13th September - evenings only |
Heuston to Portarlington |
Track renewal, ballast cleaning |
All Intercity and Commuter routes to/from Heuston |
13th to 14th September |
Dun Laoghaire to Greystones |
Bridge renewal, Bray Head coastal defence works, overhead line renewal |
Southside DART, Rosslare Intercity |
13th September |
Mullingar to Sligo |
Points & crossing renewal |
Dublin to Sligo |
20th to 21st September |
Bray to Rosslare |
NTCC Systems testing |
Bray to Greystones DART, Rosslare Intercity |
20th to 21st September |
Clonsilla to M3 Parkway |
DART+ enabling works, track lowering |
Clonsilla to M3 Parkway |
20th to 21st September |
Cork to Mallow, Cobh & Midleton |
CACR signalling works, track works for new second track |
Cork to Mallow, Cobh & Midleton |
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Check out our video below to learn more about the work being carried out to maintain our railway network.
Accessibility on Iarnród Éireann Services
We are better able to assist you if you contact us as far in advance as possible, but try to give at least 24-hours' notice of your journey. You can contact us by emailing access@irishrail.ie or call (01) 836 6222 (Monday to Friday 07:00hrs - 19:00hrs and 08:00hrs - 18:00hrs Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays).
For further information please visit our Accessibility section.
For DART Accessibility information, please see our new DART Accessibility section.
Catering on Rail Iarnród Éireann Services
For more information on our Catering services please see our Catering Page.
Bus Transfer Arrangements
Bus transfers are operated by Third Party Companies as a result Iarnród Éireann cannot guarantee there will be toilet facilities on-board. Passengers are advised to use the toilet facilities in the station before travelling. Please note Guide / Assistance dogs and small lap dogs can be facilitated on board bus transfers in line with our Travelling with Animals policy.
How can I reserve a seat on an Iarnród Éireann Service?
For information on how to buy a Free Travel Pass or Valid Ticket please see our 'Guide to buying online'.
Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail apologise for any inconvenience caused.
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12 December 2024