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Iarnród Éireann (IÉ; in English Irish Rail), is the largest passenger railway system in Ireland. Established in 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. It runs all internal intercity, suburban and commuter railway services in the Republic of Ireland and it operates the Enterprise service between Dublin and Belfast jointly with Northern Ireland Railways. In addition to Iarnród Éireann, Northern Ireland Railways, Bord na Móna operates a 3ft large industrial railway - the latter system is the largest railway system in Ireland - but does not carry passengers, see also rail transport in Ireland.
| "four rails" |
At the time of its establishment in 1987, Iarnród Éireann referred to itself as Irish Rail, and introduced the four rails IR logo; however, the initials IR were often defaced as IRA on signage. In 19941994 is a common year starting on Saturday, and was designated the International year of the Family''. Events January events January 1 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect January 6 Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an, the company brought the IrishIrish Gaeilge is a Goidelic language spoken in Ireland. The language is sometimes referred to in English as Gaelic ( SAMPA: /"geIlIk/), Irish Gaelic or Erse but is more generally referred to in Ireland as the Irish language or simply Irish . Use of the te form of its name and the related initials to the fore, and these remain the corporate brandingCorporate branding refers to the practice of using a company's name as a product brand name. It is an attempt to leverage corporate brand equity to create product brand recognition. It is a type of family branding. Disney, for example, includes the word " today. The Irish word iarnród translates literally into English as iron road, or formally railroad.
Iarnrod Eireann's services are divided under two major brands - the InterCityInterCity is a name for the inter-city rail services in Europe. In continental Europe, the word InterCity is used as a brand for certain long distance trains. These trains call at the major stations only; there are many more smaller stations served by loc sector which operates the long-distance routes (including the "Enterprise" service run in conjunction with Northern Ireland Railways), and DART/Commuter sector which operates routes in the greater Dublin area and Lenister. A seperate timetable is published for each sector annually.
Dublin is a large interchange in Ireland's railway system, the three main intercity stations are Connolly StationConnolly Station is one of the main railway stations in Dublin, Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. Situated on the north side of the River Liffey, the station provides intercity and commuter services to the north, northwest and sout, Heuston Station, and Pearse Station; Intercity services radiate to/from; Cork, Limerick, Tralee, Galway, Waterford, Rosslare Europort, Sligo, Westport and Ballina. Additional regional services are between Cork - Tralee as well as Limerick - Rosslare Europort.
Commuter services are also mainly radial to/from Dublin: Northern ( Dundalk), Western ( Maynooth/ Longford), South Western ( Kildare) and South Eastern ( Arklow). Additional commuter services are between Ennis - Limerick, Tralee - Cork as well as Cóbh - Cork. The north-south route is also host to the Dublin Area Rapid Transit, the State's only electrified rail service - apart from the Luas light rail system.
Quality of service varies from route to route. The Enterprise is well regarded, despite problems with punctuality. There have also been ongoing problems with excess power drain on the locomotives, with one or two locomotives overheating and bursting into flames (while in service). Breakdowns are a regular occurance as a result. The Cork - Dublin route, also quite well regarded, was the "premier line" of the Great Southern and Western Railway, one of the biggest pre-Córas Iompair Éireann operators. Journey time and rolling stock is quite good on this route.