Labour Councillor Corina Johnston has expressed her concern that commuters on the Northern Rail Line will not see a significant increase in seating on new Dart+ trains that are to come online in 2026.

“Along with Duncan Smith TD we have been raising this important issue on a regular basis at National level. From Ministerial Statements and Press releases especially before the recent GE, expectation was given to the public that the delivery of Dart + Trains on the Northern Line would provide an improvement for commuters in respect of frequency and capacity of service which would be forthcoming from the beginning of 2026 (especially from Donabate which is last Station before the Dart at Malahide). From the replies received to my specific questions submitted to Irish Rail it is apparent that there will be no significant increase in capacity on the Northern Line at peak hours for a number of years.”

Replying to Cllr Johnston’s query on current capacity, and the expected increase with the new hybrid Dart trains, Irish Rail stated, ‘The current 4 car commuter train has a seated capacity of 185, 2 wheelchairs and a standing capacity of 444 so a total of 629 passengers. The new hybrid DART 5 car train has a seated capacity of 208 and 2 wheelchairs and a standing capacity of 428 and 2 bicycle storage areas so a total of 636 passengers.’

Cllr Johnston stated that alternatives will need to be found to accommodate the increasing population in the area serviced by the Norther Commuter Rail Line. “It is obvious that further extensions of the direct bus services will be required to meet the demand for access to the city centre for workers along this line. Duncan and I intend to pursue this matter with the relevant authorities at national level as we cannot wait for an incident to occur due to overcrowding before action is taken,” she added.