Stadler will build trains for the island of Ireland for the first time, after Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) and Translink NI Railways (NIR) ordered eight FLIRT Intercity trains for the Dublin–Belfast Enterprise route.
The new fleet is expected to enter service from 2030 on the approximately 180-kilometre cross-border line linking the Irish capital with Northern Ireland’s capital. The current vehicles on the route are due to reach the end of their service life in the coming years.
The contract includes not only the construction of the trains, but also a 15-year maintenance agreement. Stadler will provide technical support, spare parts, engineering services, supervision of maintenance and staff training.
The new trains are expected to reduce the journey time between Dublin and Belfast to under two hours. They will also allow the operators to add one extra service per day in each direction, bringing the timetable to 16 trains per day across both directions.
The technical concept is designed for the mixed infrastructure on the route. The trains will use battery power in the Belfast area, diesel traction across the non-electrified cross-border section to Drogheda, and electric operation under overhead lines from Drogheda to Dublin.
They are also being prepared for the planned future electrification of the Enterprise route. Once the route is electrified, the trains will be able to operate using 1,500 V DC between Dublin and Drogheda and 25 kV AC between Drogheda and Belfast, with batteries available for any remaining non-electrified sections.
The wider investment in the new fleet and associated infrastructure is valued at £548 million / €698 million. It is jointly funded by the Northern Ireland Executive’s Department for Infrastructure and the Government of Ireland’s Department of Transport, with €165 million provided through the PEACEPLUS programme.
For Stadler, the order expands its presence in the UK and Ireland market, where it already supports fleets in England, Wales and Scotland. The new Enterprise trains will add to a regional portfolio that currently includes 275 trains supported by 432 employees in the UK.
