Dublin Area Rapid Transit

Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART)
An 8520 Class DART train (8622) at Connolly station
Overview
Other name(s)	DART
Native name	Mearlíne Átha Cliath
Status	Active
Owner	Iarnród Éireann
Locale	Dublin, Ireland
Termini	Malahide/Howth Greystones
Stations	31
Website	http://www.irishrail.ie/
Service
Type	Commuter Rail
Services	2
Operator(s)	Iarnród Éireann
Depot(s)	Fairview DART depot
Rolling stock	8100 Class 8500, 8510 and 8520 Classes
History
Opened	23 July 1984
Last extension	9 October 2000
Technical
Line length	53 km (33 mi)
Number of tracks	1–2
Track gauge	1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Electrification	1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Operating speed	100 km/h (62 mph)
Route map Legend Belfast–Dublin Main Line Malahide Portmarnock Clongriffin Howth Sutton Bayside Howth Junction & Donaghmede Kilbarrack Raheny Harmonstown Killester Clontarf Road Fairview Depot River Tolka Western Commuter & Sligo Line Docklands The Royal Canal Dublin Connolly   to Dublin Heuston Luas Red Line to The Point Loopline Bridge over River Liffey Tara Street Dublin Pearse Grand Canal Dock Lansdowne Road Sandymount Sydney Parade Booterstown Blackrock Seapoint Salthill & Monkstown Dún Laoghaire Mallin Sandycove & Glasthule Glenageary Dalkey Killiney Shankill Woodbrook (under construction) Bray Daly Greystones Dublin–Rosslare Main Line This diagram: view talk edit

The Dublin Area Rapid Transit system (stylised as DART) is an electrified commuter rail railway network serving the coastline and city of Dublin, Ireland. The service makes up the core of Dublin's suburban railway network, stretching from Greystones, County Wicklow, in the south to Howth and Malahide in north County Dublin. The DART serves 31 stations and consists of 53 route kilometres of electrified railway (46 km (29 mi) double track, 7 km (4.3 mi) single), and carries in the region of 20 million passengers per year.^[1] In a similar manner to the Berlin S-Bahn, the DART blends elements of a commuter rail service and a rapid transit system.^[2]

The DART system was established by Córas Iompair Éireann in 1984 to replace an ageing fleet of diesel-powered locomotives. It was, and still is, the only electric mainline railway in Ireland, and one of two currently operating electric railways, the other being the Luas tram which opened in 2004. Since 1987, the service is operated by Iarnród Éireann, Ireland's national rail operator. Contemporary rolling stock on the DART network is powered by 1,500 V DC overhead lines and uses the 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Irish gauge.

The network is being significantly expanded in the 2020s as part of the DART+ project, with future services to run to Drogheda, County Louth, Celbridge and Maynooth in County Kildare and Dunboyne, County Meath.