100 million of Shared Island funding described as Get-out-of-jail free card for NI Railways.Construction of elements of the Dart+ Coastal North is to be accelerated using the Shared Island funding, the Department of Transport has confirmed. The Shared Island funding is ring-fenced for investment that has North/South benefits. A Department spokesperson told this website that Construction is planned to commence next year and be completed by 2029.The Dart+ elements being fast-tracked are signalling upgrades, a turnback facility at Malahide station, and a track loop at Clongriffin station.The funding amounts to 93 million linked to Dart+ Coastal North. The Department said that the Dart+ funding will help to avoid scheduling conflicts between the cross-border Enterprise and Dart services on the Northern Line. A press release said that the works would enable Enterprise trains to seamlessly pass stationed Dart and Commuter trains, helping to improve the efficiency and reliability of the service.Minister for Transport Darragh OBrien said:The allocation by the Government of Shared Island funding to these projects will allow us to further strengthen cross-border rail. I am particularly pleased to see the acceleration of works on Dart+ Coastal North ahead of the entry into service of the new Dart fleet next year, and the new Enterprise Rail fleet ahead of its entry into service in 2030.IMAGES: Photos of one of the new battery-electric Dart trains to enter service next year. MAIN IMAGE ABOVE: An artists impression of the new Enterprise train due to enter service in 2030.The delayed battery-electric Dart trains are to enter service on the line from Dublin to Drogheda next year, while new overhead electric trains will also start to replace ageing Dart trains. Until the line is electrified beyond Malhide, the latter trains will continue to terminate there, while the battery-electric trains will serve stations from Malhide to Drogheda. The Department of Transport said that another 35 millionfrom the Shared Island funding will be provided for the continuation of the hourly Enterprise service to 2030. This expansion of the services was also first introduced with Shared Island Fund funding in October 2024. The Department said the funding will be matched its own fundingIt highlighted that since the introduction of the hourly service, Enterprise passenger numbers have increased by approximately 40%.The plan also includes a commitment for the North and South departments responsible for transport to work with relevant agencies so that there is a 15-20 minute transfer time between the Dublin-Belfast and Belfast-Derry lines, allowing for shorter wait times and improving connectivity between the three cities. Get-out-of-jail free card for NI RailwaysAnother 100 millionof Shared Island funding is also being earmarked for which was described by the Department of Transport as a series of planned track renewal projects in Northern Ireland along the Derry-Belfast and Belfast-Dublin lines, helping to boost line speeds, improve reliability and enhance connectivity with the North West and the Dublin-Belfast corridor.A large chunk of that funding 86m is for planned essential maintenanceof a 14-mile section of the Derry to Belfast railwaySteve Bradley, chairperson of Into The West, which campaigns for rail improvements and new lines in the north west, told the Belfast Telegraph newspaper that this approach is very strange for a basic maintenance project when the Shared Island funding was supposed to be for strategic projects adding to connectivity between North and South. Bradley said: Now at the eleventh hour Dublin has been persuaded to pick up the bill for maintenance work that Storont itself is already committed to doing and paying for, on a section of rail line that is entirely within Northern Ireland. So for Dublin to be paying for this is very strange, and reinforces Stormonts long-standing tradition of refusing to do major capital projects in Derry and the north-west unless someone else picks up the bill.The Into The West group issued its own press release outlining that the work was already contracted to begin in January 2027, just 6 months from now. They also expressed disappointment that Donegal has been forgotten yet again in this latest Shared Island rail announcement, in what they expect to be the last of such funding. The Northern Ireland Department of Infrastructure spokesperson told the newspaper that We dont agree with their assessment of the funding.And while the spokesperson said that the Department had also ring-fenced funding, and that the Shared Island funding will also enable it to reprioritise its spending once an Executive budget is agreed, to make meaningful progress on the All-island Strategic Rail Review, there was no clarity provided on the exact nature of this. In a press release issued by the Department of Transport in the Republic, the Northern Ireland Executive Minister for Infrastructure, Liz Kimmins, said: The announcement of Shared Island funding to support Derry-Belfast-Dublin connectivity is very welcome. The investment the Shared Island fund is making in rail will accelerate improvements on the Belfast-Dublin and BelfastDerry lines, strengthening regional balance and connectivity.She added: This investment will pave the way for faster journeys and greater reliability for services between Dublin, Belfast and the North-West delivering a more cohesive rail network, connecting communities and boosting the thriving all-island economy.