Intercity fleet on display

DISPLAY The new train, which rolled into Claremorris on Saturday last.  Pic: Keith Heneghan/Phocus

Intercity fleet on display in Claremorris

Austin Garvin

MAYO residents have been given a sneak preview of the new Intercity railcar fleet, set to transform quality, comfort and frequency right across the national rail network.
The Intercity railcar was on display at Claremorris Station as part of a series of open days Iarnród Éireann are undertaking across the network, to allow customers a glimpse of the future.
Together with a previous order of 67 carriages now operating hourly services on the Cork-Dublin route, the new fleet will transform Ireland’s Intercity rail fleet from the oldest in the European Union to the newest by the end of the year. The Intercity railcar order is funded by the Irish Government under the Transport 21 investment programme.
The Intercity railcars have already entered service on the Sligo-Dublin route, revolutionising reliability and frequency on the route. The entire fleet will be delivered and phased into service through 2008, entering service on the Mayo-Dublin route in summer 2008.
There was great interest in the new train, which looked magnificent both inside and outside, on Saturday, and everyone that turned up was given a chance to enter the driver’s cabin and also the passenger area.
A spokesman for Iarnród Éireann said since the new trains commenced service on the Sligo-Dublin route they have enjoyed a huge rise in commuters using the service.
Benefits to customers will include: significantly higher frequency and capacity on all Intercity routes, modern on-board comfort standards, the replacement of outdated fleets across the network, improved accessibility for mobility-impaired customers, better reliability and performance, with integral engines in each carriage.
Features of the Intercity railcar fleet will include: automatic PA and information display systems, electronic seat reservation displays for web bookings, a full CCTV system for improved security, modern catering facilities, sleek carriage design and advanced safety features throughout.
It has also been revealed that the new Intercity railcar fleet will be the greenest diesel train fleet in Europe.
An Iarnród Éireann spokesman said of the new trains: “With this record order of new trains for our network, every single rail customer with Iarnród Éireann will be able to travel on modern, quality trains, designed with the latest customer needs in mind. The transformation of our rail service is extraordinary – we have totally rebuilt our network, we have dramatically expanded commuter capacity, and now we are completing the task of a total renewal of our Intercity fleet.”