Plans to introduce fleet of electric trains on Cork commuter rail network by 2030

Iarnród Éireann has committed to transition to a fleet of electric and battery-electric trains and associated infrastructure for the Cork commuter rail network as part of its aim to achieve emissions reductions of 51% by 2030.

The electric-powered trains will also operate on the Dart+ network in Dublin allowing the retirement of older diesel fleets, the company’s Climate Action Plan 2023 to 2030 stated.

Iarnród Éireann Chief Executive Jim Meade was joined by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan TD at Pearse Station yesterday to announce the company’s corporate Climate Action Plan 2023 to 2030. 

The plan will be delivered while rail services are expanded, with passenger journeys of 80 million per annum targeted by 2030, up from a pre-COVID high of 50.1 million journeys, and a doubling of rail freight volumes anticipated.

The company said that its 51 per cent reduction in emissions will be achieved through a range of measures including reducing reliance on diesel through alternative fuels on existing fleets, transitioning to electric-powered fleet, green energy generation and corporate purchasing power agreements, and fleet and building works to reduce energy consumption. 

Speaking about the plan, Mr Meade said: “Rail has always been the most sustainable mode of land transport, and now we have the opportunity and the commitment to enhance this further.

“Our investment programme, funded by the National Transport Authority under the National Development Plan is critical, with European funding also supporting our Cork Area Commuter Rail plan.”

“We also commit in this Climate Action Plan to pursue innovative solutions to green energy generation, the use of alternative fuels and improvements to our buildings and existing fleets to reduce energy consumption.” 

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said: “It is great to see the level of ambition in this new Iarnród Éireann climate action plan, particularly when it is combined with the equally ambitious plans to transform our rail network.

“Earlier in the summer, we published the first All-Island Strategic Rail Review and in it, we outline how we aim to transform the current rail system, with electrification, faster speeds, improved frequency, and new routes for people and freight, particularly across the West and North of the country.

“This new Climate Action Plan fits perfectly with this goal to herald in a new age of decarbonised rail that means that tens of thousands of people can access rail and that becomes the sustainable spine of our connectivity, right across the country.”

In the longer term, the company said that after 2030 there will be a focus on the intercity and freight business which will necessitate the rollout of network electrification including of the main intercity routes including Cork.