The largest increase was on Dublin's Dart suburban network, which saw a 5.8% increase in passenger numbers to 8.16 million. Intercity ridership rose by 1.5% to 4.95 million, while commuter services saw a 2.1% increase in passengers to 5.78 million.

IE attributes the growth in passengers to a number of factors, including the success of the Leap Card initiative, continued participation in the Taxsaver scheme for commuters, and the recovery of the Irish economy.

This continued growth follows IE's announcement last April that ridership had increased by 3.8% during the first quarter of 2015.