Ireland to electrify DART+ West line to Maynooth

Under the DART+ West programme, about 40 km of track from Maynooth and M3 Parkway (near Dunboyne, Co. Meath) via Clonsilla to Connolly Station and the planned new Spencer Dock station will be electrified, doubling train frequency from 6 to 12 trains per hour per direction. Planning permission was granted in July 2024 (the depot element was initially refused over flood-risk concerns; a revised depot plan near Kilcock was submitted in March 2026); following a judicial review process the permission became operative in June 2025. Iarnród Éireann aims to have services running on the line by 2029. Update (24 Mar 2026): Iarnród Éireann has confirmed the extension of DART+ services to Kilcock and opened a consultation (16 March to the end of April 2026) on the new depot site west of Kilcock; the earlier site near Maynooth was not covered by the railway order, and Kilcock was chosen after 50 sites were assessed. The scheme includes a second track from Maynooth to Kilcock, a rebuilt Kilcock station with a new platform and an accessible footbridge, and electrification as far as the depot; peak-hour DART trains every 10 minutes would become possible (currently nine trains a day in each direction). The depot is to maintain up to 750 new DART cars and create more than 100 jobs; completion is planned for 2031, subject to a railway order and funding, with the application to follow later in 2026. (LOK Report, 24 Mar 2026)