Iarnród Éireann

Iarnród Éireann
Irish Rail
Company typeSubsidiary of a state-owned enterprise
IndustryRail transport
PredecessorCIÉ Railways Division (1945–1987)
FoundedFebruary 2, 1987 (1987-02-02)
Headquarters,
Area served
Ireland
Key people
Mary Considine (Chief Executive)
Ultan Courtney (Chairman)
Revenue 297.4 million (2019)
€529 million (2019)
€4.2 million (2019)
OwnerCIÉ (100%)
Number of employees
3,897 (2019)
ParentCóras Iompair Éireann
SubsidiariesInterCity
Commuter
DART
Iarnród Éireann Freight
Websiteirishrail.ie

Iarnród Éireann, (Irish: [ˈiəɾˠnˠɾˠoːd̪ˠ ˈeːɾʲən̪ˠ]) or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal InterCity, Commuter, DART and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the Enterprise service between Dublin and Belfast. In 2025, IÉ carried a record peak of 55 million passengers.

Until 2013, Ireland was the only European Union state that had not implemented EU Directive 91/440 and related legislation, having derogated from its obligation to split train operations and infrastructure businesses, and allow open access by private companies to the rail network. A consultation on the restructuring of Iarnród Éireann took place in 2012. The derogation ended on 14 March 2013 when the company was split in 2 sectors: Railway Undertaking and Infrastructure Manager.

Mary Considine was appointed Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann in October 2025.