A GRANT of €8.8 million towards the Dart rail expansion project into Kildare has been secured from the European Commission.
The money – allocated under the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility – will go towards the design phase of the upgrade to the Kildare Line.
The Dart expansion programme was allocated €2bn under the State’s National Development Plan 2018-2027.
It is also proposed to deliver new Dart services between Dublin city centre and Drogheda, Maynooth and Celbridge.
The project could increase customer capacity from 26,000 passengers per hour per direction – last year’s average – to 60,000 at its peak under the planned investment.
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Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said the new plans would facilitate an “important reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a shift towards a climate resilient society”.
He said: “For the Kildare line, the project will facilitate more services, greater capacity and electrification, as well as enhancing the infrastructure into Heuston Station – one of the busiest rail corridors in the country. ”
Minister of State in the department Hildegarde Naughton also welcomed the news.
She said: “The current rail system in Dublin is approaching capacity, and without investment, will leave the railway struggling to accommodate the population growth projected for the region.”
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