IRISH Rail (IE) introduced a new cross-city passenger service in Dublin on November 21 following the completion of a €13.7m project to upgrade an existing line which was formerly used by freight trains and empty passenger trains.

IRISH Rail (IE) operated a 440m-long container freight train between Dublin North Wall and Claremorris on June 27 as part of trials to introduce longer freight trains later this year to boost its competitiveness.

IRISH Rail (IE) has issued a tender for the supply of a new National Train Control Centre (NTCC), which will replace the existing Centralised Traffic Control Centre (CTCC) located at Connolly Station in Dublin, which dates from the 1970s.

IRISH Rail's (IE) recovery from the economic crisis gathered pace during 2015 with 5.3% year-on-year ridership growth, according to preliminary statistics published by Ireland's National Transport Authority on January 5.

TRANSLINK Northern Ireland Railways unveiled the first of three eight-car refurbished Enterprise trains, which operate between Belfast and Dublin, at Belfast Central station on November 16.

IRELAND's minister for transport tourism and sport Mr Paschal Donohoe announced on September 28 that the government has revived plans for a metro line between Dublin City Centre, Dublin Airport, and Swords as part of its €27bn capital plan for 2016-2021, although it will be more than a decade before the project is completed.

TRIMBLE, United States, announced on August 27 that Irish Rail will be deploying Nexala's R2M remote diagnostics monitoring system across its CAF class 29000 commuter fleet.

IRELAND's minister of transport, tourism and sport, Mr Paschal Donohoe, officially launched a €13.7m project on August 18 to upgrade a line in Dublin to create a new cross-city link for passenger trains.

IRISH Rail (IE) passenger traffic rose by 3.5% to 18.9 million, or an extra 650,000 passenger journeys, during the first six months of 2015 compared with the same period last year.

IRELAND's National Transport Authority has granted Irish Rail (IE) approval to launch a new non-stop inter-city service from Cork to Dublin Heuston, which will shave 15 minutes off the current fastest journey time.