Commute Advice - Slane to Dublin City

Zebrano

Hiya

I am considering moving to Slane from the Northside of Dublin. Just hoping some boardsies could help with how they find the commute from Slane to Dublin City every day? Is the bus service reliable - especially in Winter - and how long does it actually take? Work near IFSC.

Also be thankful for any feedback on what its like to live in Slane?

Thanks!:):):)

LXFlyer

You'll get information here:
http://www.collinscoaches.ie/index.php/dublin-commuter-service

Victor

There is also this: http://www.mcconnonsbuses.com/?p=timetable but it seems to be less useful.

Put your exact locations and relevant dates and times into www.a-b.ie and tweak the settings. Make sure you have selected "take neighbouring stops into account for origin and destination maximum 20 min walk".

Major Deadline

Hi - I do Navan-Dublin every day which is a similar commute. Combo of car and Dublin Bus at the moment because I just find Bus Eireann way too unreliable and irregular. Buses frequently don't turn up on time and lots of them at rush-hour go through Blanch shopping centre. Not sure if the Slane ones do but I figure they probably take N2.
If you work regular hours and you can rely on a Bus Eireann or private coach service then it's reasonably handy. But you'd need to allow a good 90 mins at rush hour to get into town. (I'm near enough to IFSC as well.)
On the worst days of winter and flooding and snow it has taken me two or three hours one way (sorry). Thankfully that's rare enough but you're definitely looking at about 3 hours travelling every day.
I don't know Slane terribly well but it's a nice town and close to Drogheda and Navan for shops etc.
Given the choice though, I'd be moving back to the northside of Dublin meself.
Best of luck with it.

Slippin Jimmy

Is there any particular reason your looking at slane? Drogheda might be a better town for commuting as you have both bus and rail options

Zebrano

Thanks for all the replies guys, its really helpful. It's great to get other peoples view on the commute because in theory it always sounds easier than actually doing it! In terms of choosing Slane, I just really like everything about it I am considering Drogheda too, but that commute is more straight forward with the train line. Thanks again

Muahahaha

Sounds like a tough commute OP, as nice as Slane is I'd think twice about living that far out unless you really really have to. Your petrol bill for one will be huge and the time lost spent on the roads for up to three hours a day, every single weekday, can't be gotten back. If you're spending 3 hours a day commuting you're spending around 1,000 hours a year, that equates to about 40 full days and nights of driving per year. It's a lot of time to spend behind a wheel IMO.

But if you have to do it then I'd imagine a combination of car and public transport would be the fastest. You could drive to Ashbourne and get a bus from there or drive to Finglas and get the 140 Dublin Bus. Another alternative is to drive to Drogheda and link up with the Matthews bus which is very reliable and frequent, probably one of the best private operators out there.

LXFlyer

Muahahaha wrote: »

Sounds like a tough commute OP, as nice as Slane is I'd think twice about living that far out unless you really really have to. Your petrol bill for one will be huge and the time lost spent on the roads for up to three hours a day, every single weekday, can't be gotten back. If you're spending 3 hours a day commuting you're spending around 1,000 hours a year, that equates to about 40 full days and nights of driving per year. It's a lot of time to spend behind a wheel IMO.

But if you have to do it then I'd imagine a combination of car and public transport would be the fastest. You could drive to Ashbourne and get a bus from there or drive to Finglas and get the 140 Dublin Bus. Another alternative is to drive to Drogheda and link up with the Matthews bus which is very reliable and frequent, probably one of the best private operators out there.

I'm not sure that driving and taking another bus would be faster than taking a coach that operates directly along the N2?


Or do you know something that suggest Collins Coaches are unreliable?

Banjoxed

Slane, nice town.

I'd drive to Drogheda and get the train. Problem solved.

LXFlyer

Banjoxed wrote: »

Slane, nice town.

I'd drive to Drogheda and get the train. Problem solved.

I'm going to ask the same question as I posed above - do you know something about Collins Coaches reliability that makes them not an acceptable option or "a problem"?


Did you even look at their timetable for the route?

Zebrano

Thanks for all the responses - much appreciated So you think the journey will take 1.5 hours each way (if no crazy traffic)?

Banjoxed

lxflyer wrote: »

I'm going to ask the same question as I posed above - do you know something about Collins Coaches reliability that makes them not an acceptable option or "a problem"?


Did you even look at their timetable for the route?

I know nothing about them. My personal choice is never to travel on a bus for longer than a city journey.

rotun

As a poster suggested, drive to Drogheda and train it.. You avoid the n2 traffic, and it's a handy walk from connolly to work.

Have you got anyone out in slane?
Few of my friends and family moved out to commuter towns, they'd all move back in a heartbeat if they could.

LXFlyer

Banjoxed wrote: »

I know nothing about them. My personal choice is never to travel on a bus for longer than a city journey.

Well then I think you should have said that in your comment. You're potentially adding cost and time unnecessarily to their commute.

OP a lot of people are giving you advice while knowing absolutely nothing about that precise commute.

All I can point you to is the timetable which quotes a journey time of 50 minutes to 1 hour depending on the time of day.

I would suggest you contact Collins directly and ask them about the service. At the same time do a test run - if you can wait, leave that until the colleges are back (late September) when traffic is at its worst.

Banjoxed

lxflyer wrote: »

Well then I think you should have said that in your comment. You're potentially adding cost and time unnecessarily to their commute.

OP a lot of people are giving you advice while knowing absolutely nothing about that precise commute.

All I can point you to is the timetable which quotes a journey time of 50 minutes to 1 hour depending on the time of day.

I would suggest you contact Collins directly and ask them about the service. At the same time do a test run - if you can wait, leave that until the colleges are back (late September) when traffic is at its worst.

I generally assume posters have enough intelligence to make their own decisions. I know enough about the location and the rail option to offer my own view, which is what I would do. What the OP does is a matter for them. I think Lxflyer you are wasting your time if you really believe that other people *ought* to have precisely the same satisficers as you.

LXFlyer

Banjoxed wrote: »

I generally assume posters have enough intelligence to make their own decisions. I know enough about the location and the rail option to offer my own view, which is what I would do. What the OP does is a matter for them. I think Lxflyer you are wasting your time if you really believe that other people *ought* to have precisely the same satisficers as you.

I don't expect everyone to have the same preferences as one another. That would be stupid.

However, I think it would be reasonable to say *why* you would drive all the way to Drogheda for the train rather than take a direct coach - that was my point.

Banjoxed

lxflyer wrote: »

I don't expect everyone to have the same preferences as one another. That would be stupid.

However, I think it would be reasonable to say *why* you would drive all the way to Drogheda for the train rather than take a direct coach - that was my point.

No, I won't. As I said earlier I'm expressing a personal preference. Should everybody drink Budweiser when good strong Guinness is available?

LXFlyer

Oh for goodness sakes, someone is asking for advice on a particular commute.

I think it would be helpful to that person if in giving an answer you explain why you think a particular route would be better than another (be it personal opinion, preference of one mode over another or another valid reason such as heavy traffic). That is all that I am saying.

I am not asking anyone to agree with a route that I suggest - I only posted the most frequent and direct option between Dublin and Slane that's all.

Copyerselveson

lxflyer wrote: »

Oh for goodness sakes, someone is asking for advice on a particular commute.

I think it would be helpful to that person if in giving an answer you explain why you think a particular route would be better than another (be it personal opinion, preference of one mode over another or another valid reason such as heavy traffic). That is all that I am saying.

I am not asking anyone to agree with a route that I suggest - I only posted the most frequent and direct option between Dublin and Slane that's all.

You have given our opinion - that's great, someone else has given an opinion and you don't happen to agree with that opinion. Now most people would just move on but you are looking to flog this by now very dead horse and I think you need to find a beer and relax, and enjoy the fact that out here in the world there is room for your beliefs and there is room for ours. Have a lovely Saturday evening and stop fretting about dissent.

LXFlyer

Copyerselveson wrote: »

You have given our opinion - that's great, someone else has given an opinion and you don't happen to agree with that opinion. Now most people would just move on but you are looking to flog this by now very dead horse and I think you need to find a beer and relax, and enjoy the fact that out here in the world there is room for your beliefs and there is room for ours. Have a lovely Saturday evening and stop fretting about dissent.

There is no need for patronising posts such as this.

LXFlyer

OP lest you think I'm out of my mind (which some appear to do), the reason I persisted with this is that the drive to Drogheda Station is about 20 minutes with no traffic.

The train then takes 1 hour to get to Connolly.

Allowing another 10 minutes for traffic, parking etc., that's 90 minutes minimum.

The coach company are saying that they will get you to Dublin city in 60 minutes which is half an hour LESS each way - hence my suggestion that you contact them directly or do a trial run to see yourself how realistic that journey time is as that is a lot less time spent commuting.

Zebrano

Thanks for all the suggestions and thoughts so far. Currently it takes me an hour to get to work on the bus anyway - even though I live c9km from the city centre - Dublin Bus are not always the most reliable, so a bus may not come resulting in being at the bus stop waiting for the next. The bus takes goes on a mystery tour on its way to town picking up commuters which makes the journey that bit longer. Then I have c15 mins walk from O'Connell st, so door to door it's an hour. I started cycling t work which halves the commute time - I can run to work faster than the bus!

Re family, I have an aunt who lives near Slane, and family in Finglas - so would always have the option of parking in their houses and cycling to work. I will definitely contact the coach company and see what they say.

I do understand that others have moved and have long enough commutes and regret it, but really want some peace and willing to commute for that!!!!

Thanks again, lots more to think about and consider......

Muahahaha

If you have the option of parking for free in Finglas then that sounds like your best option as the N2 is reasonably free flowing until you get to Finglas where it backs up. From there you can cycle or the 140 is a pretty decent service and should see you in O'Connell St in 25 minutes. Do check out the Collins bus service too, you might find that having an hour to read (or sleep!) each way is preferable to driving down the N2 and if they can deliver you from Slane to the city centre in 60 minutes then that's pretty good going in fairness.

horseburger

Zebrano wrote: »

Thanks for all the suggestions and thoughts so far. Currently it takes me an hour to get to work on the bus anyway - even though I live c9km from the city centre - Dublin Bus are not always the most reliable, so a bus may not come resulting in being at the bus stop waiting for the next. The bus takes goes on a mystery tour on its way to town picking up commuters which makes the journey that bit longer. Then I have c15 mins walk from O'Connell st, so door to door it's an hour. I started cycling t work which halves the commute time - I can run to work faster than the bus!

Re family, I have an aunt who lives near Slane, and family in Finglas - so would always have the option of parking in their houses and cycling to work. I will definitely contact the coach company and see what they say.

I do understand that others have moved and have long enough commutes and regret it, but really want some peace and willing to commute for that!!!!

Thanks again, lots more to think about and consider......

lxflyer wrote: »

OP lest you think I'm out of my mind (which some appear to do), the reason I persisted with this is that the drive to Drogheda Station is about 20 minutes with no traffic.

The train then takes 1 hour to get to Connolly.

Allowing another 10 minutes for traffic, parking etc., that's 90 minutes minimum.

The coach company are saying that they will get you to Dublin city in 60 minutes which is half an hour LESS each way - hence my suggestion that you contact them directly or do a trial run to see yourself how realistic that journey time is as that is a lot less time spent commuting.

I have taken Collins Coaches from Carrickmacross, and from Slane, and also from Ardee on a number of occasions, in the early evening to Dublin, and found them to be a very good service.

From Slane, I got the bus that goes through the village around 5.05pm and it took under and hour. From what I recall it was about 45 -50 minutes or 55 minutes at the most. It may have been that we were going by the Glasnevin Cemetery area at around the 50 minute mark, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was under an hour to get to the final stop. It dropped off at the stop at Abbey St, where it picks up passengers when leaving Dublin.

I don't know if it takes much longer to get into Dublin from Slane in the mornings, but on the occasions I have taken it, I found it to be a very good service.

KMD23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/91354756#Comment_91354756

Hey Zebrano - just came across this discussion tonight and as it happens I've been looking at moving to Slane. Can I ask, did you make the move and if so, how has it turned out for you, commuting etc?