In Dublin, the electric rail system called the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit.) The system is an electrified commuter rail railway network serving the coastline and city centre of Dublin. The service makes up the core of Dublin's suburban railway network. It is a quick and easy way to get around Dublin.
Before the DART was established, Dublin had the world’s first dedicated commuter railway line, running from Westland Row to Kingstown in 1834. The line was initially planned as a freight railway but became popular with commuters and holidaymakers.
Due to this commuter line becoming so popular, an idea was conceived during the1977 election campaign, to create the DART system. Impoverished at birth, opportunist government pocketed the millions earmarked for it, because of this the project survived to see the light of day in 1984.
Initially the service ran only between Bray and Howth and there were 25 stations. In 2000, It extended to Greystones, Portmarnock and Malahide while new stations opened at Clontarf Road in 1997, Grand Canal Dock in 2001 and Clongriffin in 2010. It very quickly became an indispensable part of Dublin's transport infrastructure and the DART now has a grand total of 31 stations.
When the Dart began, 25,000 journeys were made every day. Now there are up to 75,000 journeys. The service covers 15.5 million kms a year which means it has travelled 465 million kms and counting in the past three decades since being established. The DART fleet started out with just 80 carriages until 1999 when it grew to 154. However, the entire original fleet (except for four carriages destroyed in a fire at Fairview Depot in 2001) is still operating, after a refurbishment in the late 2000s.