DART rail services in Dublin are facing significant disruption following damage to overhead line equipment at Grand Canal Dock, Irish Rail confirmed Thursday evening. The disruption, which began with suspensions between Pearse and Dún Laoghaire stations at 9 p.m. Local time, is expected to continue throughout Friday.
Iarnród Éireann, the operator of the DART, stated that the cause of the damage remains unknown and an investigation is underway. Barry Kenny, Head of Corporate Communications for Iarnród Éireann, told RTÉ News that staff are working to assess and repair the issue. The disruption extends to peak service times, impacting commuters throughout the greater Dublin area.
While services are continuing to operate on some lines, significant delays are anticipated. DART trains are running between Howth/Malahide and Connolly, and between Dún Laoghaire and Bray/Greystones. The Rosslare intercity service is also affected, with bus transfers operating from Connolly Station to Bray to connect with trains to Wexford and Rosslare Europort. Iarnród Éireann cautioned that delays may be substantial due to bus availability and traffic conditions.
Commuters traveling to and from Connolly and Pearse stations are advised that Maynooth/Hazelhatch services and Northern commuter services will operate to/from these stations. Irish Rail warned of knock-on delays to all services in the city centre due to congestion on the line.
To mitigate the impact on passengers, Iarnród Éireann has authorized the use of Leap Cards on all Transport for Ireland (TFI) services in the affected area, subject to capacity. The extent of the damage and the estimated time for full service restoration remain unclear. As of Friday morning, Iarnród Éireann has not provided a definitive timeline for the completion of repairs.
