Train Journeys: Trains In Ireland
Trains in Ireland
Córas Iompair Éireann, or CIÉ, was set up in 1945, and now runs most rail and bus services in Ireland.
Iarnród Éireann was started on 1 February 1987, as a separate company within CIÉ. The words 'Iarnród Éireann' are Irish and translate into English as 'iron road', but this is taken as the Irish for 'railway'.
Iarnród Éireann runs intercity trains between major urban areas such as Dublin and Galway. These trains are diesel trains. New carriages and engines for these trains were bought in 2006.
It also operates suburban and commuter railway services. These are smaller diesel trains, but there is also an electrical system in operation along the coast in Dublin. The Dublin Area Rapid Transit, or DART for short, runs from Howth in the north of
Dublin to Bray in the south of Dublin.
Dublin's newest train system, the LUAS, runs on two lines. But this electrical tram system is not run by Iarnród Éireann.It is operated by a private company, Veolia Transport Ireland. The Green Line runs from Sandyford to Stephen's Green and the Red Line runs from Tallaght to Connolly station.
TIP: Passengers who travel daily on a train, bus or car are known as 'commuters'
