Continually adding stations on double track infrastructure means either comparatively infrequent services or impractically slow longer distance services. Neither market can be served effectively. This approach on the Bray/Greystones/Wexford line means that traffic on the line beyond Greystones has virtually collapsed as it is generally much quicker to drive and cheaper and no slower by bus.
While electrification might help, it is disruptive to install and massively disruptive in the event of overhead line problems. The recent performance of the DART systems suggests that electrification is no panacea and may not in fact deliver worthwhile journey time savings.
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