Transport | Electrification of Maynooth and Leixlip to Kilcock rail lines

To ask the Minister for Transport the extent to which the electrification of the Maynooth and Leixlip rail line purports to be extended to Kilcock and beyond with particular reference to avail of extra car parking space in the Kilcock, Enfield area which is likely to become an essential in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

The DART+ West scheme provides for the elimination of six level crossing, new signalling and addressing capacity constraints within the city centre area. These interventions present the opportunity to provide for enhanced services from Kilcock and beyond without the need for significant infrastructural investment including double tracking. Furthermore the DART+ Fleet project includes the procurement of battery-electric trains, which could reduce the need to electrify the line beyond the current extent of the DART+ West project, should the extension of DART services be warranted in the future. While further extensions may be considered in the future, these are outside of the current scope of the DART+ Programme. To avoid delaying the progression of the current proposals, it is considered that the type of further extension of DART service beyond Maynooth would fall to be assessed and evaluated as a potential follow-on project at a later date.
It should be noted that within the draft Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2022-2042 Measure Rail 3 states “The NTA and Irish Rail will, over the lifetime of the Strategy, extend the DART to deliver electrified rail services to the following towns: Sallins / Naas; Kilcock; and Wicklow”.