Irish Rail timetable changes from 13 December: mostly minor, a few extra stops
Most intercity and commuter times shift by a minute or two. Portlaoise and Thurles get extra stops, and a 07:50 Drogheda service adds three stops.
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On this page
Iarnród Éireann and the National Transport Authority plan a new rail timetable from 13 December 2026. Iarnród Éireann calls the changes “predominantly minor”. The aim is better punctuality and more consistent, repeating departure times on DART and commuter routes.
The public consultation closed on Monday 14 September, and the page does not say what changed as a result. The draft timetables are still published on the Iarnród Éireann consultation page.
What changes
- Dublin to Cork: an extra three trains a day stop at Portlaoise, and an extra two stop at Thurles. The 06:00 Heuston to Cork now also calls at Portlaoise (06:42) and arrives at 08:35, three minutes later than now.
- Dublin to Galway: the 06:50 Athenry to Galway, which began as a temporary service, is kept. The 05:45 Heuston to Galway leaves at 05:40.
- Dublin to Drogheda: the 07:50 from Connolly also calls at Howth Junction, Clongriffin and Portmarnock.
- DART: Sunday services shift the most. For example, the 11:27 Howth to Greystones becomes 11:35, and the 10:02 Howth to Bray becomes 10:05. On weekdays the changes are one to three minutes, such as the 06:15 Bray to Malahide leaving at 06:13.
- Other routes: minor time or stop changes on Waterford, Limerick, Westport and Ballina, Sligo, Rosslare Europort, Maynooth and M3 Parkway, the Northern Commuter line and the Phoenix Park Tunnel service. Belfast changes are weekends only. Most shifts are one to two minutes, and up to five minutes in a few cases. One Sligo service on Saturday arrives eight minutes later.
No changes proposed
Tralee to Cork and Dublin, Limerick to Ballybrophy (via Nenagh), Limerick Junction to Waterford, Limerick to Galway, and Cork Commuter.
Why no extra peak trains
Iarnród Éireann says peak frequency can’t be raised yet, because all current fleet and infrastructure capacity is already in use. The battery-electric DART fleet starts arriving in 2027. Iarnród Éireann says that may allow further timetable changes, particularly around Dublin Connolly.
This summary is based on the draft changes described on the consultation page. Check the draft timetable PDFs for the full details of your route.