Editing Transport in Ireland (section)

==Railways==
[[File:Ireland rail network sb.svg|Ireland's rail network|thumb|right]]
{{main|Rail transport in Ireland|History of rail transport in Ireland}}

;'''Total'''
:{{RailGauge|1600mm}} [[Irish gauge|broad gauge]]
:{{convert|1947|km|abbr=on}} (1998); {{convert|38|km|abbr=on}} electrified; {{convert|485|km|abbr=on}} double track; some additions and removals since 1997

:{{RailGauge|1435mm}}  [[standard gauge]]
:{{convert|36.5|km|abbr=on}} (2004) ([[Luas]] tramway); {{convert|36.5|km|abbr=on}} electrified; {{convert|36.5|km|abbr=on}} double track; additional track under construction

:{{RailGauge|914mm}} [[Narrow-gauge railway|narrow gauge]]
:{{convert|1365|km|abbr=on}} (2006) (industrial railway operated by [[Bord na Móna]])

Ireland's [[rail transportation|railways]] are in State ownership, with [[Iarnród Éireann]] (Irish Rail) operating services in the Republic and [[NI Railways]] operating services in Northern Ireland. The two companies co-operate in providing the joint [[Enterprise (train)|Enterprise]] service between [[Dublin]] and [[Belfast]]. [[InterCity (Iarnród Éireann)|InterCity]] services are provided between Dublin and the major towns and cities of the Republic, and in Ulster along the [[Belfast–Derry railway line]]. Suburban railway networks operate in Dublin, [[Dublin Suburban Rail]], and Belfast, [[Belfast Suburban Rail]], with limited local services being offered in, or planned for, [[Cork (city)|Cork]], [[Limerick]],{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} and [[Galway]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}}

The rail network in Ireland was developed by various private companies during the 19th century, with some receiving government funding. The network reached its greatest extent by 1920. A [[broad gauge]] of 1600mm (5&nbsp;ft 3in)<ref name="ciatrans">{{cite web|title =CIA World Factbook—Ireland—Transportation|publisher =CIA|date =6 November 2008|url =https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ireland/|access-date =11 November 2008|archive-date =9 January 2021|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210109164445/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ireland/|url-status =live}}</ref> was agreed as [[Irish gauge|the standard]] for the island, although there were also hundreds of kilometres of 914mm (3&nbsp;ft) [[narrow-gauge railways]].<ref name="ciatrans"/>

Many lines in the west were decommissioned in the 1930s under [[Éamon de Valera]], with a further large cull in services by both CIÉ and the [[Ulster Transport Authority]] (UTA) during the 1960s, leaving few working lines in the northern third of the island. There is a campaign to bring some closed lines back into service, in particular the Limerick-[[Sligo]] line (the [[Western Railway Corridor]]), to facilitate economic regeneration in the west, which has lagged behind the rest of the country. There is also a move to restore service on the Dublin to [[Navan]] line, and smaller campaigns to re-establish the rail links between [[Sligo]] and [[Enniskillen]]/[[Omagh]]/Derry and Mullingar and [[Athlone]]/Galway. Under the Irish government's [[Transport 21]] plan, the Cork to [[Midleton]] rail link was reopened in 2009. The re-opening of the [[Navan]]-[[Clonsilla]] rail link and the [[Western Rail Corridor]] are amongst future projects as part of the same plan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Heavy Rail |work=Project |publisher=Transport 21 |date=18 June 2008 |url=http://www.transport21.ie/Projects/Heavy_Rail/Heavy_Rail.html |access-date=11 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207115734/http://www.transport21.ie/Projects/Heavy_Rail/Heavy_Rail.html |archive-date=7 December 2008 }}</ref>

Public transport services in Northern Ireland are sparse in comparison with those of the rest of Ireland or Great Britain. A large railway network was severely curtailed in the 1950s and 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rpsi-online.org/schools/irishrailwaysystem.htm |title=The Irish Railway System |publisher=The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland |access-date=29 March 2010 |archive-date=21 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821004624/http://www.rpsi-online.org/schools/irishrailwaysystem.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Current services includes suburban routes to [[Larne]], Newry and [[Bangor, Northern Ireland|Bangor]], as well as services to Derry. There is also a branch from [[Coleraine]] to [[Portrush]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.translink.co.uk/NI-Railways/NI-Railways-Timetables/ |title=Northern Ireland Railways Timetables |publisher=Translink |access-date=29 March 2010 |archive-date=12 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812034619/http://www.translink.co.uk/NI-Railways/NI-Railways-Timetables/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since 1984 an electrified train service run by Iarnród Éireann has linked Dublin with its coastal suburbs. Running initially between [[Bray, County Wicklow|Bray]] and [[Howth]], the [[Dublin Area Rapid Transit]] (DART) system was extended from [[Bray, County Wicklow|Bray]] to [[Greystones]] in 2000 and further extended from [[Howth Junction]] to [[Malahide railway station|Malahide]]. In 2004 a [[light rail]] system, Luas, was opened in Dublin serving the central and western suburbs, run by [[Veolia]] under franchise from the [[Railway Procurement Agency]]. The construction of the Luas system caused much disruption in Dublin. Plans to construct a [[Dublin Metro]] service including underground lines were mooted in 2001, but stalled in the financial crisis at the end of that decade.

Ireland has one of the largest dedicated [[freight]] railways in Europe, operated by [[Bord na Móna]] and totalling nearly {{convert|1400|km|mi}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bnm.ie/corporate/index.jsp?&1nID=93&2nID=97&3nID=97&pID=357&nID=359 |title=Description of Railway |publisher=Bord na Móna |access-date=29 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071119085020/http://www.bnm.ie/corporate/index.jsp?&1nID=93&2nID=97&3nID=97&pID=357&nID=359 |archive-date=19 November 2007 }}</ref>