| Iarnród Éireann 22000 Class "ICR" | |
|---|---|
A 22000 Class train at Limerick Colbert station. |
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| In service | 2007- |
| Manufacturer | Hyundai Rotem Co. |
| Family name | ICR |
| Number built | 63 trainsets (building) |
| Formation | 3 and 6 car trainsets |
| Capacity | See separate list |
| Operator | Intercity Commuter |
| Specifications | |
| Maximum speed | 160 km/h (99 mph) |
| Weight | 63 tonne per car |
| Engine(s) | MTU 6H 1800 R83 |
| Transmission | Voith T211 re.4 |
| Gauge | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Irish gauge See Rail gauge in Ireland |
The 22000 Class "InterCity Railcar" is a Diesel multiple unit type in service with Iarnród Éireann in Ireland.
In a new departure for Iarnród Éireann they will be the first railcars to have been built specifically to serve on InterCity routes and are capable of up to 100 mph (160 km/h).
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In 2005, the Irish Government announced the €34billion Transport 21 proposal, intended to implement significant improvements to Ireland's transport infrastructure, with major emphasis on the railway network. As part of this, large-scale replacement of rolling stock was planned. At this time, this was made up entirely of locomotive hauled coaching stock, the majority of which was based on the British Rail Mark 2 and British Rail Mark 3. IÉ ordered a total of 120 new vehicles to replace the existing coaching stock. In a major departure, it was announced that the new trains would be 3 and 6 car Diesel Multiple Units rather than locomotive hauled trains. This order was extended to 150 vehicles in 2005 and again to 183 vehicles in 2007. A further order for another 51 vehicles was made in December 2008[1]
Supplied by Mitsui of Japan in an order totalling approximately €400 million, the fleet is being built by a partnership between Rotem of South Korea and Tokyu Car Corporation of Japan, who supplied the bogies. The first sets were delivered in March 2007.
The initial order for 120 vehicles was increased to 150 in 2005 for InterCity services. In March 2007, a €79 million order was placed for a further 33 vehicles to be used primarily on the outer Dublin commuter network. This was added to with an additional 51 Commuter vehicles in December 2008. There are to be 63 sets in all: forty-eight 3-car sets and fifteen 6-car sets of two different layouts
Two of the 3-car sets, 22010 and 22011, were delivered in July 2007 but had suffered corrosion damage in transit from South Korea. As a consequence, Iarnród Éireann never accepted delivery and stored the sets until October 2008 when they were returned to Rotem for repair, with a revised delivery date of early 2009.[2] It was later determined that it was uneconomic to repair these units, which will see two additional units added to the latest order at no cost to Iarnród Éireann.[3]
The 22000 class was primarily ordered for use on most of Iarnród Éireann's intercity routes. The exceptions are the Dublin-Belfast services operated by Enterprise and the Dublin-Cork service, for which IÉ purchased 67 brand-new locomotive hauled coaches in 2006. However, they will be used on off-peak Dublin-Cork services from November 2009. 22000 units have now replaced coaching stock on InterCity services from Dublin to Galway, Westport, Limerick and Tralee, as well as the 2800 and 29000 class DMUs to Sligo and Rosslare Europort.
The expansion of the Dublin commuter belt has led to IÉ seeing the need for dedicated long distance commuter trains, and so purchasing additional 22000 Class units for use on Commuter services to destinations such as Portlaoise, Carlow, Athlone, Dundalk, Kildare, Longford and Navan.[1]
Plans by Enterprise to improve its services included the potential of purchasing new DMU rolling stock to replace its existing locomotive hauled coaching stock. Among the options under consideration was the purchase of further 22000 Class units.[4]
NI Railways was offered a variant of the 22000 Class to fulfil the specification for its "New Trains Two" requirement, before ultimately choosing a design similar to its existing Class 3000 unit.[5]
The ICRs are divided into three car sets and six car sets, and have two internal configurations. The first 30 units are all three cars, and are all intended for use on InterCity routes, as are ten of the 15 six car units. The remaining five 6-car sets, plus the 17 three car sets ordered in 2008 are configured for long-range Commuter services from Dublin. Combinations of two 3-car sets, three 3-car sets, two 6-car sets and a 3-car set + a 6-car set are possible. In case of emergency, they can operate in formations of up to 18 cars.
| Class | Operator | Number | Year Built | Cars per Set | Unit nos. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22000 (NI) | InterCity | 6 | 2007 | 3 | 22001 - 22006 | Fitted with TPWS and AWS for use on NIR |
| 22000 | 25 | 22007 - 22009 22012 - 22030 22046 |
22010 and 22011 returned to manufacturer | |||
| Commuter | 17 | 2011 | 22047 - 22063 | Two additional units ordered to replace returned units | ||
| 5 | 2008 | 6 | 22041 - 22045 | |||
| 22000 (IC) | InterCity | 10 | 2007 | 22031 - 22040 | Fitted with Premier Class seating |
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