Preferred route unveiled for new Navan rail link
Iarnród Éireann has opened a consultation on plans to extend electrified DART services into Meath. Four stations are proposed along the 34-kilometre line, with peak-time departures potentially running every 15 minutes and journeys to Dublin taking approximately an hour.
Iarnród Éireann has unveiled its preferred route for a 34-kilometre electrified railway linking Navan with Dublin city centre, with a four-week public consultation now open.
The line would add stations at Dunshaughlin, Kilmessan, Navan Central and Navan North. Services to Connolly Station could run every 15 minutes at peak times, with a journey from Navan expected to take 60 minutes. The line would have capacity for up to 4,400 commuters each way per hour.
The proposed route largely follows the old railway alignment and the plan presented at the first consultation, with targeted changes following feedback and technical assessments. Navan is currently Ireland’s largest town without a passenger rail service.
Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien said provision had been made to secure planning permission before the end of the decade and begin construction shortly afterwards. Iarnród Éireann chief executive Mary Considine said consultation feedback would help deliver “the best possible infrastructure and service to local communities and stakeholders”.
The second non-statutory consultation closes at 5pm on 10 December 2026. Project details, submission information and consultation event details are available at irishrail.ie/navan-line. The Department of Transport funds the project through the National Transport Authority.