There are several 8 coach DART services in operation, about 7 8 coach sets are in service on a daily basis. There is scope to increase the number of 8 coach trains if required. My train home is always an 8 coach. For the record an 8 coach DART has fewer seats than a 6 coach one. There was never a plan to run all trains as 8 coaches, in fact they never bought enough coaches.
The bulk of the DART upgrade cost was actually accessibility upgrades, the renewal of the overhead wire and modifications so that 8 coach commuter trains didn't jam up Connolly
The rule book does say to pull up to the end of platform as to avoid accidentally stopping short with a long train. I've seen it happen. There is a request in with Irish Rail to state the coach length on the electronic displays.
DART passenger numbers are probably less than before 8 coach DART's where first introduced. Compared to the horrific conditions I experienced in the 2000-2003 era its massively improved.
The Alstom DART units are actually to be sold off this year. They are not rotting away since they can't rust as they are aluminum. They never worked properly and broke down with an alarming frequency.
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