Dublin to Belfast hourly train service possible by 2024, says operator in North

Irish Rail and Translink hope to purchase nine new trains so the Enterprise service can increase frequency and add earlier departures

Chris Conway, chief executive of Translink: the existing Enterprise fleet went into service in 1996 and has probably “five to ten years” left

An hourly train service between Dublin and Belfast could be in place as soon as 2024, the head of Northern Ireland’s train service has predicted.

Before Covid-19, there were four trains operating eight services a day in each direction between the two cities, but there were regular complaints, in particular about the lack of early morning services.

The Enterprise service is run jointly by Irish Rail and Translink, the Northern Irish operator. The two companies ...