The CIÉ 8100 class (also known as the 8300 class) were the first

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...

s used on the

Dublin Area Rapid Transit The Dublin Area Rapid Transit system (stylised as DART) is an electrified commuter rail railway network serving the coastline and city of Dublin, Ireland. The service makes up the core of Dublin's suburban railway network, stretching from Grey ...

(DART) system. Built by GEC and

Linke-Hofmann-Busch Alstom Transport Deutschland, formerly Linke-Hofmann-Busch, is a German manufacturing company originally established in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) to produce locomotives and rolling stock. Its origins lay in the wheelwright business of Gottf ...

in 1983, they are two-car units, and were the only units used on the DART before the arrival of the 8200 Class. 40 two-car sets were delivered, numbered 8101/8301 to 8140/8340. 81XX units are power cars while 83XX units are unpowered driving trailers. The driving cabs are full width, with the inner ends connected by gangways. Power cars always head north, while driving trailers head south.

History

The original seating layout consisted of 72 seats per coach with 16 tip up seats at the doors, giving 176 seats in total. With increasing passenger numbers and the heavy spring in the tip up seats becoming a possible source of injury, the tip seats were removed in the late 1980s. As a result of ever continuing passenger demand in the late 1990s extra standing room was provided through the removal of 16 seats from the 83XX unpowered driving trailers, reducing

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

to 56 giving a 2 car unit a total of 128 seats. 8110-8310 and 8136-8336 were

scrapped Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered me ...

after suffering serious damage in a fire at Fairview depot on 14 July 2001. When the 8600 Class units entered service from 2001, a number of 8100 Class units were modified to make up six car sets with them. Since the refurbishment detailed below this is no longer possible. The units concerned were 8101, 8102, 8108, 8114 to 8118, 8120, 8122, 8123, 8126, 8135 and 8137. All of the remaining units returned to service in 2007 and 2008 following refurbishment by

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...

. This included the installation of modified marker lights, removal of some seats to add more standing space giving all coaches 64 seats and space for a wheelchair, installation of an electronic passenger information system, new

wheel slide protection Wheel slide protection and wheel slip protection are railway terms used to describe automatic systems used to detect and prevent wheel-slide during braking or wheel-slip during acceleration. This is analogous to ABS and traction control systems us ...

equipment and

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traction control to replace the outdated

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system and installation of a door closing warning beeper. It was also supposedly intended to allow the units to operate in 8-car sets, the original units being limited to six cars, but some unmodified LHB sets had operated in 8-car formations during 2007. As with other DART units, they are maintained at Fairview depot, as well as being stabled at Bray. By January 2013, as reported in the ITG Magazine "Irish Mail" sets 8103, 8105, 8113 and 8138 were temporarily stored out of service. All these units were returned to revenue service except 8103-8303, which remained in storage not having run since 18 August 2010, however this unit returned to revenue service on 20 September 2018. On 13 September 2017 the 16:45 service from

Howth Howth ( ; ; non, Hǫfuð) is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes ...

to Bray, formed by a six car 8100 Class unit was derailed on a set of points at Dún Laoghaire station. The train was led by 8308-8108, both bogies of 8308 derailed as did one of 8108. Two passengers required medical attention according to official sources. There was widespread criticism on social media over Irish Rail's response to the incident both from passengers delayed on other services and the derailed train itself due to the lack of information and the time it took to evacuate the derailed train.

Fleet details

References

External links

Irish Rail Fleet Information webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cie 8100 class Iarnród Éireann multiple units Train-related introductions in 1983 1500 V DC multiple units

History

Fleet details

See also

References

External links