Cullen welcomes opening of Docklands Station by An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, TD

Date: 12 March 2007

Transport Minister, Martin Cullen TD, this afternoon welcomed the opening by An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, TD of the new Docklands Station located close to the Irish Financial Services Centre and the communities of East Wall and Sheriff Street. Representing an investment of €20 million under the Government’s programme Transport 21 and delivered three months ahead of schedule, (and under budget), Docklands Station will provide 15 new Irish Rail scheduled services each way, each day from Docklands to Clonsilla in West Dublin. The new route will service stops at Broombridge, Ashtown, Castleknock, Coolmine and Clonsilla. Journey time from the Docklands to Clonsilla will be 20 minutes.

Minister Martin Cullen said: “The new station, funded under Transport 21 and the EU Structural Fund, is another step in our ongoing sustained efforts to develop and extend public transport services in Dublin. This Government is committed to improving facilities for those who opt to leave the car at home and take public transport. Over the last 10 years, we have invested €1.63 billion in the rail network to upgrade services and provide better passenger comfort. Iarnród Éireann carried 43 million passengers in 2006, up 14% on the 2005 figure making it now one of the fastest growing railway networks in Europe”. The Minister added: “I would like to congratulate Iarnród Éireann and its contractors on the delivery of this project ahead of time and under the original budget. I would also like to acknowledge the interest and support the local community has given to this rail development”.

The 15 services will provide a capacity for 2,500 additional peak commuters daily, with the potential to increase services and capacity to 10,000 peak commuters.

Services will also call at the new Phoenix Park Station due to open at the end of 2007. This new Docklands to Clonsilla service is in addition to the 30 existing Maynooth-Connolly-Pearse Station services.

The Docklands Station will connect with new Dublin Bus services. The number 151 will allow customers travel to the city centre and onwards to Clondalkin. The number 93 will act as a feeder service to O’Connell Bridge. The Luas Red Line extension, from Connolly Station to the Docklands will also allow for an interchange between the Docklands Station and the Luas.

The new station, with an enclosed concourse area, is designed to ensure access for mobility and sensory impaired customers. It is the first new city centre railway station in the capital - since a station was opened in Tara Street in 1891.

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Editor’s note:
Other developments in rail provision in Ireland include*:

€400 million investment in 183 new rail carriages. The first of these new state of the art railcars, to service Sligo, arrived from Korea on 6 March last.

€950 million investment in the railway safety programme to upgrade the route tracks. (Over 420 miles of track; 300 miles of new fencing; renewing or replacing of over 120 bridges and upgrading or closing of level crossings).

Hourly train service on the Dublin to Cork route - 67 new rail carriages are already in service on this route.

The upgrade of the DART service - which has seen an increase of capacity at peak hours from 14,000 in 2000 to 27,000 passengers today.

The Kildare Route Project - more tracks to be put in place to allow for additional capacity and stations at Kishogue, Adamstown, and an upgraded station at Hazelhatch.

The re-opening of the Clonsilla to Navan railway line and the Western Rail Corridor.

The redevelopment of Heuston Station, Dublin which involved the complete redesign of the station, increasing platform numbers and re-tracking and re-signalling the approaches to the station allowing for greater flexibility.

*This is in addition to Luas, Metro and bus development projects.

Issued by: Michelle Hoctor 087 8563070
Veronica Scanlan, 087 6430622