the exclusion of most Cork-Dublin and Belfast-Dublin services. Current Fleet Commuter stock In addition to the dedicated InterCity rolling stock, a number of Commuter branded DMUs are used on rural routes that are classed as InterCity by Iarnród Éireann. Past Fleet Future Western Rail corridor The Department of Transport's project proposed that several hundred million euros would be invested by the Irish Government in improving the railway network. This would see connection of some of the radial lines out of Dublin, which enable inter-regional services to be operated without travelling through the capital. A major part of this included plans for the reinstatement of the Western Rail Corridor between Ennis and Claremorris, a route totalling 110 km/68.5 miles. Stage 1 - Ennis to Athenry - Completed Stage 2 - Athenry to Tuam - Deferred indefinitely Stage 3 - Tuam to Claremorris - Deferred indefinitely If stages 2 and 3 were completed, the Westport, Galway and Limerick lines from Dublin would be connected, allowing regional InterCity services to be run between these destinations without having to travel via Dublin. Stage 1 of the project began on 16 November 2007, relaying track between Ennis and Athenry, a distance of approximately 60 km/36 miles. The WRC project has been widely criticised as passenger numbers have been extremely low, with critics saying it would be cheaper for Irish Rail to put each passenger in a taxi than running the train. Rhetoric aside the line has seen massive growth as reported in the Irish Times: "Of particular note was the growth in passenger numbers on the western rail corridor, which saw a 72.5 per cent increase from 29,000 to 50,000 journeys through the Ennis- Athenry section of the line." Almost 100,000 people used the service between Ennis and Galway in 2017. 390,000 travelled on the line between Limerick and Galway in 2018. Passenger numbers are up 22.9% in the first quarter of 2019, and the line is expected to carry 420,000 people this year. Dublin-Cork Iarnród Éireann also maintains an ambition to increase speeds on the Dublin-Cork line. The current Mark 4 coaches are capable speeds of up to 125 mph, but are limited to 100 mph, because of speed restrictions on the track. In order to achieve the desired higher speed, the infrastructure of the line would have to be upgraded. In 2015 further upgrade plans were announced. Iarnród Éireann's chief executive David Franks