An application to develop the €1 billion Dart+ West project, which will see the electrification of the rail line to Maynooth in Co Kildare, is to be submitted to An Bord Pleanála this week.
Irish Rail said Dart services from Connolly/Spencer Dock to Maynooth and to M3 Parkway, Co Meath, could start operating by 2029 pending the outcome of the planning process.
The railway order application is to be lodged on Friday and will be followed by a statutory public consultation period from August 5th to September 30th. Potentially impacted landowners and occupiers will be contacted directly in advance of the lodgement of the order, Irish Rail said.
The project, first announced 17 years ago, would double train services along the line from six to 12 per hour per direction, increasing hourly passenger capacity from 5,000 to more than 13,000 each way. However, it will involve the closure of six level crossings from Ashtown in Dublin to Blakestown, west of Leixlip in Co Kildare.
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The Dart West Community Coalition, an alliance of 10 residents groups, has said they “fully support” the Dart project but the permanent closure of the roads is unnecessary and will leave some communities cut off from essential services.
It is expected the planning board will hold a public hearing on the project.
