Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail in Ireland has launched a tender notice seeking transport and economic consultancy to prepare a robust and comparable detailed business case for DART expansion for submission to Government for securing capital expenditure approval. The detailed business case will conform to the national requirements detailed in the common appraisal framework for the transport project and programmes (2016) and the Public Spending Code.

DART expansion programme includes a transformative railway package to modernize and improve the existing rail network, which radiates from Dublin City Centre. DART expansion programme will provide a sustainable, electrified, faster, reliable and user-friendly rail system, which increases train frequencies and customer carrying capacity. The project will create a full metropolitan area DART network for Dublin, with all of the lines linked and connected. This will transform the rail system in the Greater Dublin Area, delivering new DART services between the City Centre and Drogheda, Maynooth - M3 Parkway and Hazelhatch - Celbridge.

After completion, the programme will increase customer capacity from circa 26,000 customers per hour per direction to circa 52,000 passengers per hour per direction by 2027 - 2028, with a capacity to increase to a peak of 70,000 passengers per hour per direction thereafter.

The duration of the consultancy services is 30 months. The deadline to submit a response to the tender notice is December 09, 2019.