Bus Services in Cavan

munchkin_utd

Just thought a central place to update with bus developments would be useful, especially with 2 really useful local link services about to start and the county being WAY better connected now that it was only a few years back

Locallink Route 929: Corlough, Ballinamore, Newtowngore, Killeshandra and Cavan town - 5x Daily.
Locallink Route 176: Ballyhaise, Scotshouse, Clones, Newbliss, Threemilehouse, Monaghan and Cavan town - 5x Daily.
Whartons : Longford, Drumlish, Arva, Crossdoney, Cavan - 5x Daily.
Bus Eireann 111A: (Athboy) Delvin, Granard, Mullahoran, Ballinagh, Cavan - 4x Daily
Bus Eireann 175 : Monaghan-Cootehill-Cavan - 6x Daily
Bus Eireann 187 : (Dublin) - Kells - Ballyjamesduff - 4xDaily

The rest of bus eireanns services, the one per week and busses to Dublin/ Galway/ Belfast etc can be found here:
http://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=245#Cavan

munchkin_utd

I see that the timetables above no longer work in places, so here are the local link and the 176 schedules on the new locallink web page, also in nice handy printable PDF format.

https://www.locallinkcm.ie/timetable/

for non local link services , this page seems to be the best bet.

https://bustimes.org/search?q=cavan

munchkin_utd

Transport for Ireland yesterday announced improved services and for Cavan theres one bit of news. The 466 Athlone-Longford service is being extended and upgraded so :

• from Sunday 23rd October there'll be 6 services daily on the Athlone-Longford-Granard-Ballinagh-Cavan corridor, including Saturday and Sunday

It is not possible to use the 466 to get to Galway by bus theres no longer an expressway service between Galway and Athlone Bus/Train station. Of course you can take the train to Galway (or indeed Westport/Ballina). Theres still a number 65 Monaghan-Cavan-Galway service on a Friday and Sunday.

• Along with the 111A, thats now 10 services each way between Cavan-Ballinagh-Granard (plus some college and local link) .
• Along with the 975 (Whartons) service via Arva thats 11 services each way between Cavan-Longford daily

The services are already up on the NTA journey planner if you want to see whats available between the various options:

https://www.transportforireland.ie/plan-a-journey

https://www.transportforireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/TFI-Bus-Route-975-Cavan-Longford-A3-fold-to-A6-FINAL.pdf

munchkin_utd

The Cavan to Dundalk route has now been revised and upgraded from a one service per day on weekday to SIX services each way including weekends. Its a gigantic improvement in east-west connectivity in the north midlands , and it routes via Kingscourt and Balieboro so linking them to both Cavan college or Dundalk college or in time for work - so a quantam leap from the granny/ unemployed transportation service that the old bus timetable was only good for .

Route 170 servicing Carrickmacross, Kingscourt and Bailieboro

Route 170 will provide six daily return services between Dundalk and Cavan, via Carrickmacross, Kingscourt and Bailieboro. The new service features an enhanced timetable with a later departure from Cavan at 19.45pm and Dundalk at 19.45pm. It is the first service to include a Sunday and Public Holiday timetable between Dundalk and Cavan.

Timetables are on https://buseireann.ie/ and just search for service 170

For reference the buses leave Cavan at 06:30 / 09:30 / 11:45/ 14:15/ 17:30/ 19:45 arriving into Dundalk at 08:14 / 11:15 / 13:30 / 16:00 / 19:14 / 21:28, buses in the other direction at very similar times.

In addition, theres a separate route now between Shercock-Carrickmacross-Dundalk locallink Route 171 which runs five services each direction daily serving commuters and college students.

https://www.locallinkcm.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/171-TT-Web-Sept23.pdf

Also for the record, the weekdays bus 65 between Cavan and Athlone is now cancelled with passengers expected to take the 466 instead. The Friday/ Sunday service from Galway to Cavan will still operate .

munchkin_utd

Also for the record, the weekdays bus 65 between Cavan and Athlone is now cancelled with passengers expected to take the 466 instead. The Friday/ Sunday service from Galway to Cavan will still operate .

Following on from that it seems that the only Cavan-Belfast direct services are now reduced to a daily Monday to Saturday Belfast->Cavan departing Belfast at 9am arriving just before midday, and then Cavan->Belfast at 12.30pm, with no Sunday service

There are alternatives though like taking a local bus to Monaghan and getting a bus to Belfast, or take a bus to Dundalk rail station and catch the train to Belfast from there - full details available here https://www.transportforireland.ie/plan-a-journey/

Geog1234

It was possible (maybe still is) to buy a Cavan - Belfast through ticket on the route 175 bus (or from the ticket office in Cavan Bus Station - now shut) and then use it on Ulsterbus route 70 Monaghan - Armagh and a Goldline Express from there into Belfast. All drivers were conversant with this and no problems using it just the whole route is not promoted well - at all really - possibly because it's cross-border. Pretty sure a Cavan ticket can still be purchased at the ticket office at the Europa Bus Station in Belfast and used on this combination of routes in reverse.

When route 466 replaced the 65 between Athlone and Cavan from the end of last August the connection through to Monaghan and Belfast was lost. The afternoon route 65 used to depart Athlone at 14:45 and run through to Monaghan (onward connection to Belfast) but today the corresponding route 466 departure from Athlone is at 15:10 reaching Cavan at 17:00 whereas the 65 to Monaghan has already left Cavan at 16:42...

Local Link developments are new timetables for the C2 and C3 since the start of December.

Some C2s extend beyond Ballinagh to Kilnaleck but surprisingly no stops whatsoever between them - a full 10 kms with no stop is a vast distance and not user-friendly. Doesn't make much sense providing these new routes and then making it nigh on impossible to use them - so even though the bus passes through Ballintemple and could easily stop there (wide road/pull-in) to use the bus you'd have to get to/from Ballinagh - a few minutes by car (probably would continue the full journey by car ) or a half an hour or so of a walk out from Ballinagh. The C2 now runs direct to the hospital from the bus station and instead route C3 operates via Swellan. Station Lane is no longer served.

Geog1234

Public consultation on planned enhancement of Bus Route 187 Kells to Virginia

26TH MARCH 2024

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has today opened a public consultation on plans to significantly enhance bus route 187, operated by Bus Éireann, from Kells in Co. Meath to Virginia in Co. Cavan.

Improved level of service and operation hours

The NTA is proposing to improve the level of service and hours of operation on the route along the corridor between Kells and Virginia.

The plans include the addition of later evening weekday services, an introduction of Sunday services, and connecting Crossakiel to the Transport for Ireland (TFI) network.

The newly enhanced 187 Route will operate six times per day between Kells to Virginia, and five times a day between Virginia and Kells. All services will serve Crossakiel, Oldcastle and Ballyjamesduff. Some journeys will operate via Mount Nugent, and others will operate via Castlerahan.

Route 187 will no longer serve the N3 corridor, which is served by route 109X.

Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan 

The proposed enhancement of Route 187 is part of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan, which is a major initiative developed and funded by the NTA as part of the Transport for Ireland (TFI) Network.

It is proposed to amend the route in mid-2024.  The public consultation will run for three weeks and closes at 4pm on Monday 15th April 2024.

Have your say by clicking the link: 

https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fconsult.nationaltransport.ie%2Fen%2Fconsultation%2Froute-187-amendment&data=05%7C02%7CMichael.Sinnott%40nationaltransport.ie%7C758a194e396f4b9e80f308dc4cca7aaa%7C156a5f9f83424d8eb9abea227bbc7319%7C0%7C0%7C638469679729748987%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=DH%2Bj6Pdac%2BZKUOdsxZFiEmrFLu5aV0xUqIrIuEtjVzw%3D&reserved=0

Source: Transport for Ireland (TFI) website