A wide variety of diesel and electric
multiple unitThe term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one cab...
s have been used on Ireland's railways. This page lists all those that have been used. Except with the NIR 3000 class the numbers given by each class in the lists below are those allocated to the coaches that make up the units in that class, otherwise unit numbers are not used in Ireland.
Córas Iompair ÉireannCóras Iompair Éireann is a statutory corporation of the Irish state, answerable to the Irish Government and responsible for most public transport in the Republic of Ireland and, jointly with its Northern Ireland counterpart, the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, between the Republic and...
(CIE), which controlled the Republic's railways between 1945-86, mainly used locomotives and hauled stock for its passenger trains.
A wide variety of diesel and electric
multiple unitThe term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one cab...
s have been used on Ireland's railways. This page lists all those that have been used. Except with the NIR 3000 class the numbers given by each class in the lists below are those allocated to the coaches that make up the units in that class, otherwise unit numbers are not used in Ireland.
Ireland
Córas Iompair ÉireannCóras Iompair Éireann is a statutory corporation of the Irish state, answerable to the Irish Government and responsible for most public transport in the Republic of Ireland and, jointly with its Northern Ireland counterpart, the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, between the Republic and...
(CIE), which controlled the Republic's railways between 1945-86, mainly used locomotives and hauled stock for its passenger trains. What diesel multiple unit cars it did have were numbered in the 25xx series. Since 1987,
Iarnród ÉireannIarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...
(IE) have been increasing the use of this type of train, in order to replace older locomotives and carriages. The only electrified railway network in Ireland is the
Dublin Area Rapid TransitThe Dublin Area Rapid Transit is part of the suburban railway network in Ireland, running mainly along the coastline of Dublin Bay on the Trans-Dublin route, from Greystones in County Wicklow, through Dublin to Howth and Malahide in County Dublin.Trains are powered via a 1500V DC overhead catenary...
(DART) system. Its fleet of electric multiple units is numbered in the 8xxx series.
Diesel Multiple Units
| Class |
Manufacturer |
In Service |
Withdrawn |
Image |
| 2600 Class (I) After 1945, both CIE and the GNR found themselves in a poor financial position as a result of the deprivations of World War II and increased competition from road traffic . They looked to diesel power as a way to streamline costs and bring them back into profitability...
|
AEC |
1951-1986 |
1986 |
http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/I/Inchicore/slides/AEC%20railcar%206111%20at%20Inchicore_2.html, |
| 2600 Class (II) The 2600 Class is a type of Diesel Multiple Unit operated on the Irish railway network by Iarnród Éireann, used mainly for short-haul Commuter services.-Description:...
|
Tokyu Car is a manufacturer of heavy rail cars in Japan. The company is based in Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama, Japan, and a member of Tokyu Group: Tokyu Corporation...
|
1993- |
|
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ie/dmu/2600/japdmu.jpg |
| 2700 Class |
GEC AlstomAlstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2007-'08 Alstom had annual sales of over €16.9 billion, and employed more than 81,500 people in 70 countries. Alstom's...
|
1998- |
|
|
| 2750 Class |
GEC AlstomAlstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2007-'08 Alstom had annual sales of over €16.9 billion, and employed more than 81,500 people in 70 countries. Alstom's...
|
1998- |
|
 |
2800 ClassThe 2800 Class is a type of Diesel Multiple Unit operated on the Irish railway network by Iarnród Éireann, used mainly for short-haul Commuter services.-Description:...
|
Tokyu Car is a manufacturer of heavy rail cars in Japan. The company is based in Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama, Japan, and a member of Tokyu Group: Tokyu Corporation...
|
2000- |
|
 |
2900 ClassThe 29000 Class is a type of four-car Diesel Multiple Unit operated by Iarnród Éireann. The units were built in Spain by CAF in two batches between 2002 and 2005. -Description:...
|
CAFConstrucciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any existing truck or bogie.CAF has manufactured...
|
2002- |
|
 |
22000 ClassThe 22000 Class "InterCity Railcar" is the latest Diesel multiple unit type to be introduced by Iarnród Éireann in Ireland.In a new departure for Iarnród Éireann they will be the first railcars to operate on express InterCity routes...
|
RotemHyundai Rotem is a South Korean company manufacturing rolling stock, defense products and plant equipment. It is part of the Hyundai Motor Group...
|
2007- |
|
|
Electric Multiple Units
- 8100 Class
The CIE 8100 class were the first electrical multiple units used on the Dublin Area Rapid Transit system. Built by GEC and LHB in 1983/84, they are two-car units, and were the only units used on the DART before the arrival of the 8200 Class. 40 two car sets were delivered, numbered 8101/8301 to...
: Numbers 8101+8301 to 8140+8340
- 8200 Class
The Iarnród Éireann 8200 Class electrical multiple units were built for the Dublin Area Rapid Transit . The units are two-car sets, of which there are five. They are numbered in the sequence 8201+8401, etc... The units first entered service in 2000...
: Numbers 8201+8401 to 8205+8405
- 8500 Class
The 8500, 8510 and 8520 classes are three related types of EMU used by Iarnrod Eireann on the DART network in Dublin. The total fleet numbers a total of 17 four-car trains, all of which were constructed by the Tokyu Car Corporation.-8500 Class:...
: Numbers 8601+8501+8502+8602 to 8607+8507+8508+8608
- 8510 Class: Numbers 8611+8511+8512+8612 to 8615+8515+8516+8616
- 8520 Class: Numbers 8621+8521+8522+8622 to 8639+8539+8540+8640
Northern Ireland
The majority of passenger services in Northern Ireland have been operated by diesel multiple units since the mid-1950s (the major exception being the locomotive-hauled
Enterprise service between
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of...
and
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
), under the tenure of both the
Ulster Transport AuthorityThe Ulster Transport Authority ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.The UTA was formed by the 1948 Transport Act , which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board and the Belfast and County Down Railway...
(1948-1966) and
Northern Ireland RailwaysNI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time, Ulster Transport Railways , is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose parent company is the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company , and is thus the only remaining...
(since 1967). From 2001, all items of rolling stock in use on NIR had 8000 added to their number so as to be part of the Translink number series, which incorporates their road vehicles. The new 3000 Class stock are the first multiple units to be numbered from new in the Translink series. NIR will purchase an additional 20 new trains for entry into service in 2011.
| Class |
Manufacturer |
Number Built |
In Service |
Withdrawn |
Image |
| AEC Class Following the end of World War II, most railways throughout the world were looking to either update their fleet of steam locomotives with new and more economical designs or look towards alternatives, which for many meant a programme of dieselisation. The main considerations were the rising cost of...
|
UTA Works The Ulster Transport Authority ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.The UTA was formed by the 1948 Transport Act , which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board and the Belfast and County Down Railway...
|
|
1951
1958 |
1968
1972 |
|
| MED Class The Ulster Transport Authority Multi-Engined Diesel was an early diesel powered railcar, used in Northern Ireland. The 12-mile Belfast-Bangor railway line had a well used passenger service and, being devoid of goods traffic, was chosen as the testing ground for the diesel railcar era...
|
UTA Works The Ulster Transport Authority ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.The UTA was formed by the 1948 Transport Act , which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board and the Belfast and County Down Railway...
|
14 x 3-car sets |
1952 |
1978 |
|
| MPD Class The Ulster Transport Authority Multi-Purpose Diesel was a diesel powered railcar, used in Northern Ireland. It was developed by the Ulster Transport Authority as a progression of the earlier Multi-engined Diesel...
|
UTA Works The Ulster Transport Authority ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.The UTA was formed by the 1948 Transport Act , which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board and the Belfast and County Down Railway...
|
2 x 5-car sets
10 x 3 car sets |
1958 |
1981 |
|
| 70 Class UTA 70 Class was a diesel multiple unit train built for service on Northern Ireland s railways. The MED’s and MPD’s, which made use of readily available power and transmission units, were cheap to operate but noisier and not as comfortable as locomotive - hauled rolling stock, a fact which made...
|
UTA Works The Ulster Transport Authority ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.The UTA was formed by the 1948 Transport Act , which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board and the Belfast and County Down Railway...
|
8 x 3-car sets |
1966 |
1986 |
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ie/dmu/historic/nir75_st003722.jpg |
80 ClassThe Class 80 is a type of diesel electric multiple unit in service with Northern Ireland Railways.- History:By the early 1970’s the MED’s and units inherited from the GNR had been in service for 20 years, and the MPD’s for 10 years. To replace these increasingly life-expired units, Northern Ireland...
|
BREL BREL stands for British Rail Engineering Limited, which was the engineering division of British Rail until the design and building of trains in the UK was privatised....
|
22 x 2/3-car sets |
1974 |
|
|
RB3British Rail produced a variety of Railbuses as a means both of building new rolling stock cheaply, and to provide services on lightly-used lines economically.-Terminology:...
|
BREL BREL stands for British Rail Engineering Limited, which was the engineering division of British Rail until the design and building of trains in the UK was privatised....
/LeylandArticles beginning Leyland include:* LeylandAlliance* Leyland Band* Leyland Brothers* Leyland Cypress* Leyland * Leyland, Lancashire** Leyland police station** Leyland railway station* Leyland Motors Ltd** British Leyland Motor Corporation...
|
1 x single car |
1983 |
1989 |
http://www.metropolitanrailway.co.uk/rb3.jpg |
450 ClassThe Class 450 is a type of diesel multiple unit used by Northern Ireland Railways.-History:In the mid 1980s, Northern Ireland Railways was in the process of upgrading its rolling stock. Having already purchased three new locomotives, it then proceeded to purchase replacements for its Class 70...
|
BREL BREL stands for British Rail Engineering Limited, which was the engineering division of British Rail until the design and building of trains in the UK was privatised....
|
9 x 3-car sets |
1985 |
|
 |
3000 ClassThe Class 3000 is a class of diesel multiple unit in service with Northern Ireland Railways.-History:At the beginning of the 21st century, the majority of rail services in Northern Ireland continued to be operated using Class 80 DEMUs, which had been in service since the mid 1970s, and were...
|
CAFConstrucciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any existing truck or bogie.CAF has manufactured...
|
23 x 3-car sets |
2005 |
|
|
| 4000 Class |
CAFConstrucciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any existing truck or bogie.CAF has manufactured...
|
20 x 3/4-car sets |
2011 |
|
|
Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The
Great Northern Railway (Ireland)The Great Northern Railway was an Irish railway company formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway , Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The Ulster Railway was the GNRI's oldest constituent, having opened between Belfast and Lisburn in 1839 and extended in stages...
straddled the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland, and so was not incorporated in either the CIE or UTA. However, mounting losses saw the network purchased jointly by the Irish and British governments on 1 September 1953. It was run as a joint board, independent of the CIE and UTA, until 30 September 1958 when it was dissolved and the remaining stock split equally between the two railways.
- AEC Class
After 1945, both CIE and the GNR found themselves in a poor financial position as a result of the deprivations of World War II and increased competition from road traffic . They looked to diesel power as a way to streamline costs and bring them back into profitability...
- BUT Class
See also
- Steam Locomotives of Ireland
A wide variety of steam locomotives have been used on Ireland's railways. This page lists all those that have been used in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland...
- Diesel Locomotives of Ireland
Although prototype diesel locomotives ran in Britain before World War II, the railways of both the Republic and Northern Ireland changed over much rapidly from steam to diesel traction, in the 1950's than those in Britain, due to the island's limited coal reserves and ageing steam locomotive fleet...
- Coaching Stock of Ireland
A wide variety of hauled coaches have been used on the railways of Ireland. This page lists all those since 1945.-Republic of Ireland:When formed in 1945, Córas Iompair Éireann inherited from its constituents a motley collection of coaching stock from various manufacturers, in equally variegated...
External links