Multiple units of Ireland

Last updated August 19, 2024

A wide variety of diesel and electric multiple units have been used on Ireland's railways. This page lists all those that have been used. Except with the NIR Class 3000, the numbers given by each class in the lists below are those allocated to the coaches that make up the units in that class, otherwise, unit numbers are not used in Ireland.

Republic of Ireland

Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), which controlled the Republic's railways between 1945 and 1987, mainly used locomotives and hauled stock for its passenger trains. What diesel multiple unit cars it did have were numbered in the 26xx series. Since 1987, Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) has been increasing the use of this type of train, to replace older locomotives and carriages. The only electrified railway network in Ireland is the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) system, in addition to the Luas which runs on a separate network. Its fleet of electric multiple units are numbered in the 8xxx series.

Despite appearing to be a DMU (especially the Driving Van-Trailer end), the Dublin Cork service Mark 4 is an 8-car Push–pull train.

Diesel multiple units

Class		Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Scrapped
AEC Class	Initial Order	AEC	1951–1956	66	1987	65
	GNR Order	AEC	1951–1956	10	1975	All
	Bulleid Order	Inchicore Works	1956		1975
BUT Class		BUT	1956–1957	12	1972–1975
80 Class		BREL	1974 (Hired from NIR)	3	1990
2600 Class (II)		Tokyu Car Corporation	1993	17	still in use	0
2700 Class		GEC Alsthom	1997–1998	12	2012
2750 Class		GEC Alsthom	1997–1998	2	2012
2800 Class		Tokyu Car Corporation	2000	10	still in use	2
29000 Class		CAF	2002–2005	29		0
22000 Class		Hyundai Rotem	2007–2011 2019–	63		0

Electric multiple units

Class	Manufacturer	Year Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Scrapped
Drumm Battery Trains	Inchicore Works	1931 1938	4	1949	All
8100 Class	Linke-Hofmann-Busch	1983–1984	40	still in use	2
8200 Class	Alstom	1999–2000	5	2007–2008	1
8500 Class	Tokyu Car Corporation	2000	4	still in use	0
8510 Class		2001	3
8520 Class		2003–2004	10

Northern Ireland

The majority of passenger services in Northern Ireland have been operated by diesel multiple units since the mid-1950s (the major exception being the locomotive-hauled Enterprise service between Belfast and Dublin), under the tenure of both the Ulster Transport Authority (1948–1966) and Northern Ireland Railways (since 1967). From 2001, all items of rolling stock in use on NIR had 8000 added to their number so as to be part of the Translink number series, which incorporates their road vehicles. The 3000 Class stock are the first multiple units to be numbered from new in the Translink series. NIR purchased an additional 20 Class 4000 DMUs which entered service in 2011 and 2012.

NIR purchased a Windhoff Multi-Purpose Vehicle for use as the Rail Head Treatment Train, equipped to lay sandite and high-pressure water. The MPV was procured to replace a converted Class 80 unit.

Class		Manufacturer	Number Built	In Service	Withdrawn
AEC Class	GNR Sets	GNR Works, Dundalk	20 Power Cars (10 After 1958)	1950–1972	1972
AEC Class	UTA 6 & 7	UTA Works	2 Power Cars	1951–1972	1972
BUT Class		GNR Works, Dundalk	24 Cars	1957–1980	1980
MED Class		NIR Works	14 x 3-car sets	1952–1978	1978
MPD Class		NIR Works	2 x 5-car sets 10 × 3 car sets	1958–1981	1981
70 Class		NIR Works	8 x 3-car sets	1966–1986	1986
Class 80		BREL	2, 3, 4 or 6 cars per set	1975-2017	2011 (passenger use) 2017 (departmental use)
RB3		BREL/Leyland	1 x single car	1981–1990	1990
Class 450		BREL	9 x 3-car sets	1985–2012	2012
Class 3000		CAF	23 x 3-car sets	2005-present	still in use
Class 4000		CAF	13 x 3-car sets 7 x 4-car sets	2011-present	still in use

Great Northern Railway (Ireland)

The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) straddled the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland, and so was not incorporated in either the CIE or UTA. However, mounting losses saw the network purchased jointly by the Irish and British governments on Tuesday 1 September 1953. It was run as a joint board, independent of the CIE and UTA, until Tuesday 30 September 1958 when it was dissolved and the remaining stock split equally between the 2 railways.

Railcars in preservation

Number		Original company	In service	Preserved by	Location
B		Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway	1947–1971	Downpatrick & Co. Down Railway	Downpatrick
6111		CIÉ	1952–1987
450 Class	458	Northern Ireland Railways	1987–2012
	798
	788
Two–car 80 Class	69		1978–2017
Two–car 80 Class	749
Two–car 80 Class	90
Two–car 80 Class	752		1979–2017
RB002		British Rail	1984–1990	Riverstown Old Mill	Riverstown, Louth
Railcar 1		Northern Counties Committee (LMS)	1933–1965	Railway Preservation Society of Ireland	Whitehead
Railbus E		Great Northern Railway	1921–1965	Ulster Folk and Transport Museum	Cultra
1		County Donegal Railways	1906–1956
10			1932–1959
12			1934–1959	Foyle Valley Railway	Derry
15			1936–1959	Donegal Railway Heritage Centre	Donegal
18			1940–1959	Fintown Railway	Fintown
19			1951–1959	Isle of Man Railway	Isle of Man
20			1951–1959	Isle of Man Railway	Isle of Man
712		CIÉ	1962–2005	Irish Traction Group	Downpatrick
713		CIÉ	1962–2005	Downpatrick & Co. Down Railway	Downpatrick
1498	76773	British Rail	1970–1993	Quirky Glamping	Enniscrone
	62411
	76844

External links

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