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Iarnród Éireann (IÉ; in English Irish Rail), is the national passenger and freight railway system of the Republic of Ireland. Established on 1 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. It operates all internal intercity, suburban and commuter railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and the Enterprise service between Dublin and Belfast jointly with Northern Ireland Railways. In addition to Iarnród Éireann and Northern Ireland Railways, Bord na Móna operates a 3ft-gauge large industrial railway (the largest railway system in Ireland, but it does not carry passengers). See also rail transport in Ireland.

Organisation

At the time of its establishment Iarnród Éireann referred to itself as Irish Rail, and introduced the four rails IR logo; however, the initials IR were often defaced as IRA on signage. In 1994, the company brought the Irish form of its name and related initials to the fore, and these remain the corporate branding today. The Irish word iarnród (alternately rendered "bóthar iarainn") translates literally into English as iron road, or formally railway.

Iarnród Éireann services are divided across several separate operating areas.

Services

Iarnród Éireann's services are branded under three main names; InterCity, Commuter and DART. InterCity services are long-distance routes radial from Dublin. The Belfast–Dublin service, run in conjunction with Northern Ireland Railways, is branded separately as Enterprise. Diesel multiple unit (DMU) services out of major cities are branded Commuter. The DART brand is used for a north-south high-frequency electric multiple unit (EMU) service on the eastern side of Dublin. A separate timetable is published for each sector annually. Regional services (e.g. Limerick-Rosslare Europort) are sometimes regarded as Commuter services, with fairly new Commuter DMUs being used on the service.

Dublin is the hub of Ireland's railway system. The two main Intercity stations are Connolly Station and Heuston Station; Intercity services radiate to/from Cork, Limerick, Tralee, Galway, Waterford, Rosslare Europort, Sligo, Westport and Ballina.

The majority of commuter services are based in Dublin, which has four commuter routes in 2006. These are: Northern (Dundalk), Western (Maynooth/Longford), South Western (Newbridge/Kildare/Portlaoise) and South Eastern (Arklow). Additional commuter services run from Cork (to Mallow and Cóbh) and from Limerick (to Ennis and Limerick Junction). As the Commuter livery is used on all DMU railcars, a number of other services also run under the name. These include Mallow–Tralee, Manulla Junction–Ballina and Limerick–Rosslare Europort, as well as the Dublin–Sligo and Dublin–Rosslare "InterCity".

The north-south route along Dublin's eastern coastal side is also host to DART, Ireland's only electrified heavy rail service.

Quality of service varies from route to route. The Enterprise is well regarded, despite problems with punctuality. There have been ongoing problems with excess power drain on the locomotives, with one or two locomotives overheating and bursting into flames while in service. Breakdowns are a regular occurrence as a result. (This is part of an on-going problem with IE adapting full-time locomotive-driven head-end power, or HEP—traditionally, generator vans for electric supply have been used.) The Cork - Dublin route, also quite well regarded, was the "premier line" of the Great Southern and Western Railway, one of the biggest pre-Córas Iompair Éireann operators. Journey time and rolling stock are quite good on this route with brand new rolling stock (mark 4) due to enter service on 2006-05-15, but this entry was delayed by a week by an unofficial strike by train drivers.

See also: Rail transport in Ireland

Network Catering

Iarnród Éireann's Network Catering unit provides a trolley service of food and drink, a snack car and (on some routes) a restaurant service. It also operates restaurants at Connolly Station and at Dún Laoghaire. According to Irish Rail's annual report, the unit lost €270 000 in 2004.

Early in 2006, Iarnród Éireann advertised for private catering contractors to take over the operation of its catering services, but at present the company still operates the services directly.

Footnote

1. Iarnród Éireann is the Irish language translation for "Irish Rail" and may be pronounced in English as "EERN-rode AIR-in".

References

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See also

• List of Irish companies
• List of railway stations in Ireland
• History of rail transport in Ireland
• Transportation in Ireland
• Diesel Locomotives of Ireland
• Multiple Units of Ireland
• Coaching Stock of Ireland

External links

• Official site - English language
• Official site - Irish language
• Platform 11 - Ireland's National Rail Users Group
• Irish Railway News -reporting on all aspects of irish railways

• Iarnród Éireann
• Railway companies