IE 2900 Class
Encyclopedia
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
operated by Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...
. The units were built in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
by CAF
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...
in two batches between 2002 and 2005.
Description
Each set comprises two driving end cars (DM1 and DM2) and two intermediate cars (MDT and MT) They are capable of operation as two sets of their own class or in consists of up to 10 cars with either 2600, 2700IE 2700 Class
The 2700 and 2750 Classes are two related types of diesel multiple unit operated by Iarnród Éireann. The 2700 Class units are 2-car sets; 25 cars were built by GEC Alsthom in 1997 and 1998, and began entering service in December 1998...
or 2800 class DMUs. Each car is fitted with a 294 kW MAN traction engine and a Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
generator engine, both mounted underfloor. Each 4-car set is 81.46 m long, 3.985 m high and 2.9 m wide. They have a maximum permitted speed of 120 km/h (75mph)
Passenger capacity is 185 seated and 634 standing.
The original delivery of twenty sets were numbered 2901-2980. However, to avoid conflict with the existing numbering system of the NIR 3000 Class
NIR 3000 Class
The Class 3000 is a class of diesel multiple unit in service with Northern Ireland Railways.-History:At the beginning of the 21st century, the majority of rail services in Northern Ireland continued to be operated using Class 80 DEMUs, which had been in service since the mid 1970s, and were...
, all cars were renumbered e.g. set 2901-04 becoming 29101-401. The 2005 batch of nine sets are numbered 29121-429.
The railcars were the first to be shipped with the new Commuter branding rather than the "Arrow" branding previously used, and as such were the first Iarnród Éireann rolling stock (other than DART EMUs and Enterprise stock) not to feature the company's traditional orange and black livery, which is now being phased out from passenger service. The Commuter brand has now also been extended to Class 2600
IE 2600 Class
The 2600 Class is a type of Diesel Multiple Unit operated on the Irish railway network by Iarnród Éireann, used mainly for short-haul Commuter services. At present the entire class is based in Cork, and is used on local services to Mallow, Midleton, Cobh and on token services to Tralee...
, 2700
IE 2700 Class
The 2700 and 2750 Classes are two related types of diesel multiple unit operated by Iarnród Éireann. The 2700 Class units are 2-car sets; 25 cars were built by GEC Alsthom in 1997 and 1998, and began entering service in December 1998...
and 2800
IE 2800 Class
The 2800 Class is a type of Diesel Multiple Unit operated on the Irish railway network by Iarnród Éireann, used mainly for short-haul Commuter services.-Description:...
railcars.
Deployment
They work most Northern Commuter and Western CommuterDublin Suburban Rail
The Dublin Suburban Rail network, , is a railway network that serves the city of Dublin, Ireland, most of the Greater Dublin Area and outlying towns...
services. They have proven to be a very reliable unit despite operating a variety of demanding services. They are due to be returned to their intended commuter services when deliveries of 22000 Class DMUs displace them from Sligo line workings in 2008, and as such remain in their "Commuter" livery even when working this line.
During the November 2009 timetable change saw the end of the 2900's running West of Dublin from Heuston Station to Newbridge/Kildare and Carlow. The services are now covered by newly built 22000 DMU's.
Fleet details
| Class | Operator | Number | Year Built | Cars per Set | Unit nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29000 Class | Commuter | 20 | 2002-2003 | 4 | 29001 - 29020 |
| 9 | 2005 | 29021 - 29029 |