Suburban electrification, main line upgrading and new rolling stock are part of the Irish government's 2018-27 National Development Plan published on February 16. The €2n DART Expansion Programme proposes enhancements to the Dublin suburban network ahead of the construction of the long-planned cross-city tunnel for which a route is to be safeguarded. Initial investment will focus on infrastructure improvements and resignalling to accommodate enhanced services. New stations would provide interchanges with bus and tram services. Proposed rolling stock improvements include the acquisition of 300 new vehicles, of which 100 would provide extra capacity and 200 would replace the oldest DART cars from the early 1980s. Studies will look at the scope for infrastructure improvements to increase speeds from Dublin to Belfast, Cork and Galway.
Railway Gazette, Apr. 2018. p.6.