Ireland\u2019s busiest rail line is to undergo a major expansion to alleviate chronic congestion under plans to be announced on Friday. <\/p>\n
Irish Rail<\/a> will double the track between Dublin Connolly and Malahide from a two-track line to four tracks in a project conservatively estimated to cost more than \u20ac1 billion. <\/p>\n The precise route for the FourNorth project will be determined after a public consultation due to take place later this year. <\/p>\n It means 10 railway stations will have to be extensively remodelled, while some gardens and other privately owned land, and potentially properties, long the 14km line are expected to be needed for construction. <\/p>\n Irish Rail said it would contact any landowners who would be affected when more detailed designs are ready later this year. <\/p>\n [\u00a0Irish Rail to unveil plans for new tracks through north DublinOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n The project will need extensive planning and preparation and it is expected construction will continue into the early 2030s. <\/p>\n FourNorth is intended to accommodate a faster Dublin-Belfast Enterprise service, improved northern line commuter services, expanded Dart services and more smoothly running freight trains. <\/p>\n The limited capacity on the existing line became clear when the decision to make the Belfast-Dublin service hourly<\/a> caused chaos with logjams and delays two years ago. <\/p>\n Although those issues were largely resolved, the line is still heavily congested and prone to difficulties if precision scheduling slips. <\/p>\n Irish Rail chief executive Mary Considine urged the public to get involved in the consultation process. <\/p>\n \u201cFourNorth is about more than new tracks. It is about building a resilient, high-capacity rail corridor that supports everyday journeys, strengthens regional connections and helps deliver a sustainable transport future for Ireland \u2013 making space today for the needs of tomorrow,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n A suggestion of four-tracking the line was included in the All-Island Strategic Rail Review published in 2024. It put the estimated cost at \u20ac700 million to \u20ac1 billion at 2021 prices for the separate Dublin-Clongriffin section, which is about two-thirds of the line currently proposed. <\/p>\n Irish Rail said a clearer picture of costs would emerge as designs were firmed up. <\/p>\n