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Iarnród Éireann (IÉ; in English Irish Rail), is the national passenger railway system in Ireland. Established on 1 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. It runs all internal intercity, suburban and commuter railway services in the Republic of Ireland and it operates 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 translates literally into English as iron road, or formally railway.
Iarnród Éireann services are divided across several separate operating areas.
Services
Iarnrod Eireann's services are branded under three main names; InterCity, Commuter and DART. The InterCity services are long-distance routes (not necessarily to cities, but radial from Dublin). The Belfast–Dublin service run in conjunction with Northern Ireland Railways is branded separately as Enterprise. DMU services out of major cities are branded as Commuter. The DART brand is used for a north-south high frequency 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 not generally referred to as intercity or commuter (rolling stock with both liveries has been used on such services).
Dublin is the main hub in 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 as of 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 as of 2006, 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. 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.
- See also: Rail transport in Ireland
Network Catering
Iarnrod 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 Dun Laoghaire. According to Irish Rail's annual report, the unit lost €270 000 in 2004.
See also
- List of Irish companies
- History of rail transport in Ireland
- Transportation in Ireland
- Diesel Locomotives 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
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