BusConnects Dublin - Bus Network Changes Discussion

Some other notable changes:

Potential re-routing of the 19 and 24 is referenced around Ballymun & Harristown, along with reference to the A3 being extended into DCU in the future.

Potential also for the S2 & 82 to terminate within the new housing development on the Glass Bottle Site.

Further, the N8 will now avoid the Clare Hall junction and turn into City Junction Business Park, in order to utilise the new Belmayne bus gate

There is also a PDF listing all route changes:

https://busconnects.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Route-Updates.pdf

I am sceptical that the proposed A2 frequency will be enough for the airport, and I think it's pretty quickly going to need something to supplement it. However I also wouldn't underestimate how much the 19, 24, and especially N8 could help boost capacity and relieve pressure from the A2. I think there will be a good few users who will prefer them, and I think the N8 will struggle with just 2bph, as its providing direct Blanch-Airport and Clongriffin/DART-Airport connections. I honestly think the N8 might need its freq doubled to 15 min.

Additionally separating CC-Airport and CC-Swords(and Airport-Swords somewhat too) traffic I think will help a lot. Part of the problem with getting a 41 to/from the airport right now is that it can be packed with people going to/from Swords. Allowing those services to be more dedicated to Swords and the airport respectively should help too.

That all said I went through to count the pre- and post-BC frequency on Drumcondra Rd-Airport/Swords Corridor and I am not liking what I am counting. Off-peak if I have counted right it is a good bump in capacity, but on-peak seems to be about the same which while not the end of the world, is far from great. What is essentially happening is that the A1 is replacing the 2x 33 and 2x 44 as well as 1x 16 from the peak hour. Meaning that capacity is being kept(if not increased) south of Swords Rd, but is being decreased from the airport and Swords.

While this isn't a catastrophic decrease in capacity(and the 19, 24, and N8 should help), that is already a VERY busy corridor and should be having its capacity increased along the whole corridor, not kept the same. I am really hoping that they are planning to increase the A-spine to 10 minute frequency for the peak hour and/or adding some short A2/A4 services, it's really needed.

Something else I have noticed while looking into the frequency to/from the airport, the L85(33a replacement) is having its frequency increased to 4bph. That should help make the service more appealing as well as make connecting to/from DARTs much easier.

But that also now means its planned to have 22bph going through the airport. I will be interested to see how the current bus stops handle that, especially since 20bph will be terminating. It already seems to be struggling with 17bph, so at 22bph I think it might start bursting at the seams. Especially since like I mention my post above, I think the A2 and N8 frequency will need to be increased.

If memory serves me correct , these 24/7 services were introduced to service the nighttime economy including bringing essential staff to/from these 24/7 institutions. So it's mainly for Airport staff which would more likely be based on the Northside.

Good example of this being the N4 and people asking why this route was introduced and none of the other orbital routes , I've been on it a number of occasions in the early hours and there were Ryanair staff coming home.

As for the Swords Road routes it would make sense for both A2 and A4 routes to be running at a frequency of 30 minutes. Given that there's probably not going to be local routes out in the early hours , there will need to be a link for Swords/Airport given that Swords is likely the biggest employment base for the Airport, so I would assume that in the early hours , the A4 will serve the Airport.

Saw three new bus stops today in City centre on F spine.

Stop 7995 on Kevin St Lower, Eastbound ( Opposite what used to be College of Technology.)

Stop 8044 on Cuffe St., Eastbound ( This is labelled as F1,F2, F3 but I think it should also have 23 & 24)

Have not seen any westbound stops on Cuffe St. or Kevin St. Lower.

I also saw a new westbound stop on the South West corner of Stephens Green although I didn't go over to check the details

Bus stop flags updated in Finglas Village now too

They won't learn an awful lot if there's a bus full of them. Any more than three or four is a waste of time. You can't really learn it properly without having the chance to drive it.

Exactly you learn nothing sitting on a bus twiddling your thumbs you have to actually drive it.

New bus lane south bound on Merrion St heading south towards Ely Place

Looks like contraflow bus operations are returning to Hume Street for the 23, 24 and 82?

Well done Dublin Bus, by the skin of your teeth, but you managed to avoid scheduled overtaking on the Fs and the 82 when the journey times are reduced after the PM peak. No such luck on the 80, however: the 20.30 ex LV is scheduled to catch up to the 20.15 by Lord Edward Street and be 3' earlier in Palmerston.

It's ridiculous that I have to compliment them on the four good routes to begin with, but that's what happens when you assign run time profiles based on terminus departure and not on time-vs-location-en-route.