Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I understand from Iarnród Éireann that 120 new intercity railcars, ordered at the end of 2004, will begin entering service in 2007. The railcars will operate on the Dublin-Westport-Ballina, Dublin-Galway, Dublin-Tralee, Dublin-Waterford and Dublin-Limerick-Ennis routes. Their introduction into service will allow Iarnród Éireann to provide hourly services on the Dublin-Limerick route with a mix of direct and shuttle services to connect with Cork trains.

With the introduction into service of 67 new carriages later this year, which are additional to the 120 I have just mentioned, Iarnród Éireann expects to begin hourly services on the Dublin-Cork route before the end of this year.

See this speech in context