IRISH Rail revealed in November that it is looking to extend the Dart line to all of the train stations in Fingal, taking the line north through Fingal and on as far as Drogheda.

The revelation came as Irish Rail's passenger services manager, John Reville appeared at the November meeting of the Swords/Balbriggan Area Committee of Fingal County Council where he answered a serious of questions on local rail service.

Initially, Mr Reville was asked about the possibility of taking the Dart line out as far as Donabate train station but his response, revealed plans for a much greater expansion of the Dart service.

Cllr Ken Farrell (Lab) said that population growth north of the current limits of the Dart had been massive in recent years and it was ' logical' to extend the Dart service at least as far north as Laytown.

Mr Reville revealed that the Government had asked Irish Rail to prepare 'a business case' for extending the Dart line north of Malahide.

While he said the current focus of Irish Rail was to advance the 'Dart Underground' project, as an 'off-shoot' of that project, the company was looking at a range of options to extend the Dart service which would have greater capacity after the city centre works on the line were complete.

One of those 'off-shoot' projects, that is currently being assessed by Irish Rail is, according to Mr Reville, ' the electrification of the line not only to Donabate but right up to Drogheda'.

The senior Irish Rail official, who made his comments at Balbriggan Town Hall, said he was 'not in a position to give a time-frame' for the project but said it was being assessed in terms of the company's 'future capital investment'.

Mr Reville said Irish Rail was working on clearing a ' bottle-neck' over the River Liffey in the city centre, and when that work was completed, the Dart line would have a greater capacity and could take a greater number of trains. Two phases of that project are already complete and the two remaining phases are expected to be complete by the end of the next year, the Irish Rail official said.

The Irish Rail official declined to comment on the future of Metro North and did not go into any alternative service to Dublin and the Airport, that Irish Rail may favour although it is widely reported that there is a proposal from for a Dart 'spur' to the airport, and on to Swords.

Whatever about that project, Cllr Anne Devitt (NP) welcomed irish Rail's stated aim to extend the line to Donabate.

She said the Donabate peninsula was set for a major increase in population and currently there was only one way in and one way out of the area. She said the Dart would be the 'only viable transport solution' for the peninsula.

Fingal Independent