No Battery Electric Trains Will Serve Wicklow Town

Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore has criticised the government for underdelivering public transport for Wicklow Town.

Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore has criticised the government for underdelivering public transport for Wicklow Town.

It was confirmed to Deputy Whitmore recently that none of the additional DART battery electric carriages ordered in 2021 will be used to extend the DART line services at Wicklow Town.

Deputy Whitmore said:

"It is disappointing that Wicklow has yet to be prioritised for delivery of the new electric battery DART carriages. Last year, the NTA told me that Irish Rail had established a team to review the workability of using these carriages, and their work was underway. I was hopeful this meant the government was planning to invest in Wicklow Town's railway in the immediate future.

"In response to a Parliamentary Question on the matter, however, the Department of Transport advised that will not be the case. It now looks like the lion's share of the new carriages have been earmarked for other counties.

"Thirty of these carriages will augment current DART services along the entire cost, and 65 of them, which are battery-electric trains, are due to enter service exclusively on the Dublin to Drogheda line. It has long been mooted that these battery electric carriages would be used to address the capacity issues faced by Wicklow town's rail services.

 "Yet again, Wicklow needs to catch up when developing DART infrastructure. It is well known that Wicklow Town needs to be more resourced regarding rail and bus services. Government TDs have committed to delivering these electric dart carriages to Wicklow Town in the past, but we do not see the project anywhere near delivered."

 Whitmore points to the need to get more people out of cars and onto trains, bikes, and buses to meet climate target options. She went on to say: 

"Commuters in Wicklow Town have spoken to me about how they want to see more rail and bus options to use public transport, especially when commuting to work or school. However, this cannot be done if the options are not there and not running frequently enough. 

"I urge the Minister for Transport to put Wicklow town at the top of his agenda for the remainder of this government. The kind of investment in rail we have seen in Drogheda and Southwest Dublin rail services in recent decades needs to be replicated here in Wicklow, and it needs to happen now. The urgency of this matter cannot be overstated."