Commuting Lucan to Sandymount - help please!

Kavanam

Looking for some advice on the best way to commute from Lucan to Sandymount. Have moved offices with work and trying to figure out best option - last two mornings have taken 90 mins by car, coming through city centre at peak times. Happy to consider public transport if it could be done in an hour or so, advice on driving routes much appreciated too!
Thanks in advance.

Heroditas

I'm struggling to think of a worse area in Dublin to try and get to from Lucan.
I've had to drive that route a few times and it's a disaster.
The 18 goes from Palmerstown to Sandymount.
It takes ages but at least it might work out cheaper than burning loads of petrol and getting road rage while you get cramps from stop-starting with the clutch every morning.

LXFlyer

I wouldn't suggest the 18 in this case - the OP would be in town on the bus from Lucan before he got halfway along the 18 route.

It depends on what part of Lucan you're coming from but I'd suggest any of the 25a, 25b, 25x, 66x or 67x to the city centre (they all use the Chapelizod bypass) and then one of the following:

1) DART to Sandymount from Tara Street Station (nearest Lucan Rd routes bus stop would be D'Olier Street/College Street)

2) 2 or 3 from Townsend Street (behind Pearse Street Garda Station) to Sandymount (nearest Lucan Rd routes bus stop would be D'Olier Street/College Street)

3) 4, 7, 8 or 47 from Nassau Street to Ballsbridge (Simmonscourt Road) and then walk down (nearest Lucan Rd routes bus stop would be Nassau Street)


It obviously depends on where you're going in Sandymount as to which option is handier.

schemingbohemia

Remember to use Travel 90 tickets if you chose to go with the double bus option that lxflyer has given, you can use these on 2 bus journeys once your second journey has started within 90 minutes of the first, so you'd get to Sandymount from Lucan for €1.90.

10 Journey Travel 90 Adult €19.00

Valid for 10 journeys of 90 minutes unlimited travel
Valid on Dublin Bus scheduled services including Xpresso (excluding Airlink, Nitelink, Tours, Special Events and Private Contract services)
Tickets are for individual use only and may not be used by a group
No CIE photo ID required

n97 mini

Drive to one of the Leixlip stations and get the train.

BostonB

The quickiest most consistent way would be to cycle.

Kavanam

Thanks very much for the responses - I had more or less discounted the 18 as an option because of what I read elsewhere on boards.ie re: its slowness and meandering route.

I'm coming from Moyglas and the 25a/b are good options right outside the door so maybe a bus/dart from Tara St combo is the way to go. The office is a five min walk from Sandymount Dart station.

The traffic is a bonafide disaster and I can't seem to nail a driving route that doesn't give me grey hairs before 9am!

Thanks for the helpful responses!

LXFlyer

Kavanam wrote: »

Thanks very much for the responses - I had more or less discounted the 18 as an option because of what I read elsewhere on boards.ie re: its slowness and meandering route.

I'm coming from Moyglas and the 25a/b are good options right outside the door so maybe a bus/dart from Tara St combo is the way to go. The office is a five min walk from Sandymount Dart station.

The traffic is a bonafide disaster and I can't seem to nail a driving route that doesn't give me grey hairs before 9am!

Thanks for the helpful responses!

If that option works for you, and your employer participates in the Taxsaver scheme then you can make real savings through getting commuter tickets.

See www.taxsaver.ie for details.

n97 mini

I was looking at the IR website and put in Adamstown to Sandymount.

It's absolutely astounding that it takes nearly two hours, all by rail, despite it being only 10 or 12 miles.

LXFlyer

Actually in practical terms it would not take nearly 2 hours by rail.

The journey planner is being overly conservative in terms of allowing 45 minutes to get from Heuston to Connolly (it is programmed to be so), plus it is faster getting off at Abbey and walking to Tara Street than staying on to Connolly and walking to platform 5, 6 or 7.

Realistically I would suggest that the journey time would be more like this, using the 0705 departure as an example:

Adamstown - Heuston (Train): 20 minutes
Platform 1 - LUAS Stop (Walk): 10 minutes (including wait time)
LUAS Heuston - Abbey: 12 minutes
Abbey - Tara Street (Walk): 8 minutes
Tara Street - Sandymount (DART): 7 minutes

So that would work out as:

Depart Adamstown 0705
Arrive Heuston 0725

Depart Heuston 0735
Arrive Tara Street 0755

Depart Tara Street 0758 or 0808
Arrive Sandymount 0805 or 0815

Total Journey time 1 hour or 1 hour 10 minutes.

BostonB

Where have you been that you haven't realised that the all public transport has to go through the center of Dublin and then most don't even connect in the center either. Its a disconnected network.

If you want to travel those kinda jounrneys you have to avoid peak time. For me that has always meant going into work early and leaving late.

Though of late I have realised that cycling is actually the quickest way even on long journeys around the city. D.15 to D4 takes me about an hour at best on the train. Often longer. But I can cycle it in 45 mins. Most people would cycle it faster. So if you combine that with a fold up bike for the train, luas, or electric bike, theres potential to cut out a lot of time. Even a couple of days a week, if everyday isn't possible.

BostonB

lxflyer wrote: »

Actually in practical terms it would not take nearly 2 hours by rail.

....

Total Journey time 1 hour or 1 hour 10 minutes.

That doesn't include getting to and from the stations at the start end, and also the waiting time, as you have to arrive a few minutes before the train each time too. Mind you I haven't included the time I spend faffing around and changing before getting on the bike either. Driving doesn't have those additions.

LXFlyer

BostonB wrote: »

That doesn't include getting to and from the stations at the start end, and also the waiting time, as you have to arrive a few minutes before the train each time too. Mind you I haven't included the time I spend faffing around and changing before getting on the bike either. Driving doesn't have those additions.

I was only commenting on the time that n97 mini quoted of "nearly 2 hours" which was from Adamstown Station to Sandymount Station. I did factor in waiting time at the two changes en route.

Cycling to be fair does not suit everyone, particularly if there are hills en route.

n97 mini

lxflyer wrote: »

I was only commenting on the time that n97 mini quoted of "nearly 2 hours"

The IR journey planner quoted 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Not surprisingly it quoted 50 minutes for Leixlip Confey to Sandymount.

LXFlyer

n97 mini wrote: »

The IR journey planner quoted 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Not surprisingly it quoted 50 minutes for Leixlip Confey to Sandymount.

I know it did.

However I pointed out to you why (it allows much more time than a commuter would need to get from Heuston to Connolly) and then I pointed out how it could be done far quicker than that (circa. 1 hour/1 hour 10 mins).

50 minutes is right for Confey to Sandymount - you have to allow waiting time for the connection.

BostonB

lxflyer wrote: »

..Cycling to be fair does not suit everyone, particularly if there are hills en route.

True. But many would be pleasantly surprised how doable and time saving it is. Theres always electric bikes for hills. I was only putting it out there as left of center alternative.