>>1246710>>1246714>>1246716The major limiting factors for any future Enterprise train are really as follows:
>It's limited to a DMU design.NIR's network is completely unelectrified and even if it were to be electrified, NIR has planned to use 25kV AC@50Hz so that they can acquire UK spec trains much easier, since NIR uses AWS and TPWS as train safety features (as per UK law). Plus, there's the additional factor that Ireland, while it uses the broader Irish Gauge, it's still limited by the British loading gauge.
Irish Rail only operates a small section of electrified lines around Dublin as part of the DART. It is electrified to the 1500V DC standard, which enabled them to initally purchase French made Linke-Hoffmann-Busch (now Alstom) EMUs and later Japanese (Tokyu Car Corporation) EMUs since both France and Japan use 1500V DC.
While an EMU could be capable of operating at both electrification standards (most high speed trains in Europe do so already), the main issue would be deciding where to link the two electrification standards, since Irish Rail might not want to implement 25kV AC on their network.
The easy option would be a DMU and there aren't many good higher speed DMUs out there. It's really limited to the SuperVoyager, the IC3, the RegioSwinger (which is basically a German version of the SuperVoyager) or a Siemens Venturio (the ICE TD, which is now being scrapped). Current DMUs on both Irish and Northern Irish lines cannot go faster than the current Enterprise, and many are limited to 70 mph.
>The DARTIn Dublin, the Dublin Area Rapid Transit serves as an urban railway serving the outskirts of Dublin. This, however runs on the Great Northern Mainline, meaning that it shares the track with Irish Rail Commuter services as well as the Enterprise. For some reason, Irish Rail gives priority to DART trains causing an otherwise early Enterprise service to suffer from severe delays as soon as it reaches Malahide. Same issue occurs with the train leaving Dublin
