Issue with power supply at Drogheda train station is understood to be part of the delay. Batteries at Drogheda to fast-charge batteries on trains as ESB cannot upgrade power supply quickly.The first next-generation Dart train, as part of an order of 185 new carriages, has left the factory of train manufacturer Alstom and is on the way to Irish Rail.Train firm Alstom tweeted an image of a train carriage wrapped up with the text, All wrapped up! Special package out for delivery, followed by the emojis for eyes, the Irish flag and a shamrock.Irish Rail awarded Alstom the contract for new trains in December 2021 for up to 750 fully electric or battery-electric powered vehicles over the next decade. As part of that, two orders totalling 185 carriages have been placed to date, comprising six sets of five-carriage conventional electric trains and thirty-one sets of five-carriage battery-electric trains.Although some responses online have billed it as an early Christmas present, the first of the new trains should have started arriving during the summer months. The delay was already known, and the plan for the trains to start entering service in mid-2025 has been pushed back to early 2026.The second order of new Dart trains was expected from 2026 onwards and is now set back to Summer 2027 onwards, and a third order is expected in Summer 2028 but is dependent on it being ordered this year.The process of ordering new trains has about a four to five-year lead in time from the order being made to when the trains are operational. After the trains are shipped to Ireland, significant work is involved in final assembly, commissioning, testing, regulatory approval, and driver training.The new Dart trains on order include battery and overhead electric hybrid vehicles that use electric overhead wires when along the exiting Dart route and battery-electric when beyond the existing electrification. Further electrification of lines is planned as part of the Dart+ infrastructure programme, but the plan is to have the trains in use ahead of the infrastructure changes. Mark Gleeson, a spokesperson for commuter group Rail Users Ireland, said: We welcome news that Alstom has achieved an important milestone with the shipping of the first train set to Ireland today from Poland.He said: The project from the start has been subject to delays, delays in getting NTA and Government approval to authorise the order added several months, and then supply chain issues impacting the assembly by Alstom has added a further four plus months to the project.Six of the 19 sets in the first order are overhead electric only, with the focus on extending the Dart service from the start.Gleeson said: Rail Users Ireland is concerned at the high-risk approach. Instead of low-risk entry to service on the existing Dart line before enabling battery, Irish Rail has opted to go for the full battery electric operation with charging in Drogheda.He said the plan includes a lot of challenges and dependencies to make everything work, including a plan to use an on-the-move automatic switch between overhead and battery using Irish Rails new European Train Control System (ETCS) signalling system, which is being delivered to support the new Dart fleet.Gleeson said: Irish Rails own timeline suggests the restricting factor is now the power supply in Drogheda to charge the trains. Irish Rail has been unable to secure a large enough grid connection, so a battery farm is being built in Drogheda which will charge within the grid limits and then rapidly discharge when the trains need to be charged. Thats Q1 2026.Irish Rail has also accepted that the 1984 Dart fleet has to be replaced and that funding is being sought outside Dart+ budget for this.On this issue, Gleeson added: RUI welcomes this effort as the 1984 fleet is in need of replacement to ensure a reliable service can be maintained.Irish Rail has said that purely electrically powered trains are expected to make up the majority of the orders from Alstom, but the battery electric trains are expected to be used in Dublin and possibly later in Cork too, ahead of the electrification of the lines.As Dart services are extended, intercity/longer-distance railcars currently used on commuter routes into Dublin will also be freed up for use on other parts of the rail network.Irish Rail was contacted for comment on the delay.(Note: Since this video was made, the onboard charging of electric bicycles has been removed from the train spec)