Weekend Shopping and Dining in Dublin's city centre is now more accessible to those dwelling on the southside with the return of Southside DART weekend service. The €176 million DART upgrade project is delighted to announce it is proceeding on target. All work on the Southside DART line is complete and the Southside weekend DART line has re-opened.  Minister for Transport Seamus Brennan marked this accomplishment by travelling on the first 8-carraige DART from Dun Laoghaire to Pearse Station. Each platform on the Southside has now been extended to accommodate 8-Carriage DARTS and all the overhead wiring has been renewed.

The DART is celebrating it's 20th anniversary and has began work upgrading the Northside DART line. There will be additional buses and commuter services to those affected at weekends with the closing of the Northside DART line.

Speaking in Dun Laoghaire, CIÉ and Iarnród Éireann Chairman Dr John Lynch said “we look forward to continuing our proud record of delivering major projects on time and on budget in Iarnród Éireann with DART Upgrade.  We have a responsibility to the taxpayers and our customers which we take seriously, and our record has been achieved through ensuring we have the project planning, financial and engineering expertise within the company, and by restructuring board and management activities to facilitate successful project delivery.”

Southsiders can once again enjoy the ease of travelling quickly into Dublin's city centre via the DART. This will make Weekend shopping and dining in some of Dublin's top restaurants an easy option. Sunday shopping has become increasingly popular and almost all retail shops and department stores in the city centre are now open on Sundays between 12-6pm. Outdoor Festivals such as Diversions in Temple Bar and events like Speakers Square on Sundays will be more accessible to those travelling from the Southside. 

For more information on the DART Upgrade click here.