Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2019
2201. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the assessment of rail fleet technology in regard to hybrid trains has been completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32068/19]
View answerIn November last year, I announced the seven successful projects from the first Call for Applications under the Climate Action Fund. This included up to €15m to support Irish Rail increasing the efficiency of the inter-city rail fleet which, will be achieved through the retrofitting of hybrid drives.
The validation process of the project, which includes detailed examination of the project, agreement of project outputs and payment timelines, is under way. Once the validation process is complete, the project will commence, which will include the detailed design of the new hybrid power-packs; the conversion of three existing diesel multiple units to the new configuration; and, following a year long in-service trial, the hybrid power-packs will be implemented across the wider fleet.
