IRELAND'S rail network is set for a notable expansion this week with the opening of a new DART station in south Dublin, even as a major national infrastructure project faces continued delays and cost overruns.
Woodbrook Station, located between Bray and Shankill, will officially open on Sunday.
The new station aims to serve both Woodbrook and Shanganagh, offering improved connectivity to Dublin’s city centre.
The station will be served by up to 191 DART services on weekdays, with an average journey time of 40 minutes to the capital.
Construction on the station began in November 2023, and Iarnród Éireann confirmed the project has remained on schedule.
Woodbrook becomes the 147th station in the company’s network and includes design features that allow for future pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.
Access to the station will be via Woodbrook Avenue.
With the addition of Woodbrook, Iarnród Éireann has advised commuters that minor timetable adjustments will be made to DART, Rosslare, Northern and Maynooth Commuter services.
The changes are intended to accommodate the new stop and enhance overall service efficiency.
A spokesperson for the company expressed optimism about the launch, noting that the station will offer residents “fast, frequent and sustainable travel options as the community grows and develops.”
Meanwhile, the planned National Train Control Centre (NTCC), a key infrastructure project intended to modernise Ireland’s rail network management, is now facing a significant delay and major budget increase.
Although the control centre building at Heuston Station was completed in 2022, the system is not expected to be fully operational until late 2028.
The project's cost has risen from an initial estimate of €148 million to €189 million.
The NTCC was designed to replace Ireland’s ageing rail traffic management system and improve coordination across the national network.
However, delays have largely stemmed from issues with the software component of the new train traffic management system.
As a result, the final implementation date has been pushed back by two years, with full system handover now anticipated in November 2028.
According to the National Transport Authority (NTA), additional costs of €9.5 million were incurred in 2024 alone, bringing the total expenditure to €132.5 million by the end of that year.
The NTA has acknowledged that more funding will be needed to complete the project, which was first approved in 2019.
In an update to the Dáil Public Accounts Committee, NTA interim chief executive Hugh Creegan said the current control system is increasingly difficult to maintain and confirmed that the contractor had brought in new staff and expertise to address the delays.
Iarnród Éireann has also bolstered its project oversight team.
Alongside the train control centre, the new Heuston Station building will house a control centre for An Garda Síochána’s Dublin Metropolitan Region and a regional traffic control centre led by Dublin City Council, the latter of which is expected to be operational by mid-2026.
Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien told the Oireachtas Transport Committee that the final cost of the NTCC is now projected to fall between €170 million and €200 million, calling it “a very important piece of infrastructure” that remains a government priority.
