Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar TD today marked the opening of a new rail spur in Dublin Port, set to enhance the competitiveness of rail freight for Dublin Port and Iarnród Éireann customers.

The expansion of the rail spur follows a €1.5 million investment made by Dublin Port Company. The spur is 1.6 kilometres long, and the project took six months to complete.

The new rail spur facilitates access for rail freight to ship side at the Ocean Pier, eliminating the need for loading and unloading on Alexandra Road , and will improve the competitiveness of rail freight to/from Dublin Port.

The first customer of the new facility is IWT (international Warehousing and Transport), a privately owned Irish logistics company, and it is expected that the current IWT service will increase from 4 to 5 trains per week in each direction in the coming weeks as a result of this investment. IWT believe that the service will save up to 5.5million road kilometres every year and will reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 2,750 tonnes. The increased frequency in the service provides customers with a regular and reliable rail alternative delivering a superior product that will enhance Ireland’s contribution to the European Union’s modal shift aspirations from road to rail.

(Source: Iarnród Éireann)