BusConnects Dublin - Big changes to Bus Network

C2 and the X30 will finally start going through Shackleton, come 4th December!

I'm disappointed but not surprised in learning that The S routes are not coming out until April. It is a sign of the times at the moment regarding the current statuses being hit with delay after delay with seemingly end in sight as to how the current situation is still ongoing right now between the operators and the NTA.

If I had done it with my way of thinking on the matter. I could have done some tweaking to the rollout timeline if the recruitment situation was not at it's best at the moment.

If it was doable; I would have put the N2 & N8 out after the G-Spine to eventually have them paired up with the N4 & N6.

Then after that; I would have preferred Route O to be rolled out for passengers that currently want to connect before or after taking the train or bus at Heuston Stn.

Then l would put all of the Southern Orbitals altogether to eventually link up the O route & S2 at Heuston.

Then all of the other remaining phases of the project will remain unchanged as before.

I am not sure if me putting it out this way would save a lot of bother or ultimately create a lot more of it if other people posting here begin to change other phases around to suit their preferences just for the sake of it.

Does anyone here agree with me that putting out these proposals would be a good idea?

Does you, or someone, have a list of Rollout Dates for every route? Based on most recent best estimates?...

I don't know what you're suggesting and why it's different from planned rollout..

As sceptical as I am, those drivers should be sacked on the spot, imagine being a bus driver and refusing to…drive a bus.

Don't believe everything you hear - there'd always be someone willing to swap whatever clapped-out ex-SG they've been lumbered with, in favour of a nice 191 with a more comfortable seat. Also, there's not a hope in hell that they'd drop a service to placate a driver who doesn't like the colour of the bus.

Chaos on Burgh Quay again with almost an hour till the next G2. 2 buses on the G spine in the next hour

If the drivers are qualified to be able to determine whether a vehicle is defective, why aren't they working as a mechanic for better pay?

Mechanics in DB would be on similar pay to drivers.

Yes it is their job to do basic visual checks to make sure buses are fit to go on the road and carry passengers. Every day a walkaround check is supposed to be done to ensure the bus is fit for service and has no obvious defects. More information here. https://cvrt.ie/en/Operator-Driver-Obligations/Pages/Daily-walk-around-checks-and-defect-detection.aspx

We would be required to do a first use check each morning. Checking the lights, handrails, accessibility ramp, doors etc...

Anything like oil, fuel, adblue would be the domain of maintenance.

Of course doing these checks does not preclude the bus from having issues during service.

It's done at the start of the day before the bus leaves the garage. Drivers could be filling out the further defects they've found whilst in service.

Heading to work this morning just about made it in on time , because the 39a I was getting was cancelled and the next one busy and traffic busy .

Heading home this evening , got the Luas to broombridge and train to clonsilla. At the bus stop 39 due in 15 minutes . Got down to 15 minutes and then disappeared off the board. Checked online and then found out it had been curtailed back to Blanchardstown centre!

So the bus letting the side down today . Thank god I only have to put up with this 2 days a week now ! 😡

So much for that I guess...

Believe it's the fact that the road to be used still hasn't been opened

This is just to let people know regarding our efforts on Bus Connects. We had the following email today:

Dear Deputy Smith / Dear Cllr de Nortúin,

Thank you for your email to Hugh Creegan of 4th November with feedback on new routes G1, G2 and 60 which has been forwarded to the Oireachas Liaison Unit to issue a response.

We are very much aware that early performance has not met the high standards which residents rightly expect. We and Dublin Bus are working to deliver the required performance levels. The comments are very helpful and have been reviewed carefully. We are sorry for the disruption to passengers’ journeys. Please find below some updates relevant to the matters raised.

Traffic issues

The Authority and Dublin Bus have engaged with DCC in relation to optimising signal timings along the routing of the G-Spine and Route 60, including at the Emmet Road/South Circular Road Junction. Early analysis from DCC indicates that changes to this junction for the purposes of providing additional priority to G spine services would have a negative impact on route 123 due to knock-on impacts to the junction of South Circular Road / Bulfin Road. We are continuing to look at options and are investigating on how best to balance these impacts. DCC are also investigating the feasibility of providing an additional inbound traffic lane near the St. James’ Hospital junction which could assist with running times in this area during the morning peak period.

As you will be aware, the Authority has applied under section 51(2) of the Roads Act 1993 (as amended) to An Bord Pleanála (‘the Board’) for approval in relation to a proposed road development consisting of the construction of the Liffey Valley to City Centre Core Bus Corridor Scheme. The application was made to An Bord Pleanála on the 8th July last with the application for confirmation of the associated Compulsory Purchase Order CPO under Section 76 of, and the Third Schedule to, the Housing Act 1966 (as amended) being made on the 15th July last. This scheme provides for measures to improve the reliability of bus services between Liffey Valley Shopping Centre and Nicholas Street/Thomas Street via Ballyfermot, Kilmainham, Inchicore, James Street/Thomas Street/High Street through a substantial increase in bus priority. The scheme includes for the provision of a bus gate on Mount Brown and James Street in order to provide for priority to bus services at this location, details of which can be found in the documentation submitted to An Board Pleanála, at www.liffeyvalleyscheme.ie. As the Scheme is the subject of an ongoing statutory planning process, it is not planned to introduce a bus gate at this location in advance of the conclusion of this process

Bus schedules

Dublin Bus is preparing new schedules using additional buses and drivers. In the interim they are deploying extra resources to run additional journeys. When the new schedules are in place it is anticipated that the intended high-frequency “G-spine” supplemented by route 60 can operate as planned. We shall of course be keeping that under close review.

Bus alignments and frequencies

The G1 and G2 routes have been designed to provide a very frequent service (every 8 minutes) on their combined section between Ballyfermot and the City Centre (The G-Spine). Routes G1 and G2 are intended to provide an attractive, high-frequency service that is accessible to most residents. Route 60 was designed to cater for those who would find it more difficult to get to the "Spine". It covers a wide area and provides a brand new link for Palmerstown Woods, which has been requested for some time. Our general experience is that the majority of users who have a choice will opt to use a high-frequency “Spine” service – though this does of course depend on a reliable service being provided.

The new G-Spine runs via Inchicore for a number of reasons. The old alignment of the 79 and 79a via the quays is already served by the C-Spine services so the G1 and G2 follow the path of former route 40 via Inchicore instead of former routes 79 and 79a. This gives a regular service to all of the residents and businesses along the Spine section, which gives them more access and connectivity to other services on the network. The alignments of each Spine in the City Centre are designed to maximise interchange opportunities between the Spine services with a short walk between stops where possible. Additionally, each alignment, including the G-Spine, is consistent with potential future changes to the local road network.

Some of the feedback suggests increasing the frequency of route 60 to provide an alternative to routes G1 and G2. We are prioritising the delivery of acceptable reliability on all three routes G1, G2 and 60, through both improved schedules with more drivers, and traffic management improvements, as described above.

Real-time information

We recognise that the real-time information service has been of lower quality in recent months. When this first became apparent during September we carried out various on-street surveys to identify the root causes and a software upgrade was put in place. This has significantly improved accuracy. Separately however driver-availability issues then started to have a knock-on effect on the quality of the real-time predictions. We are working with the operators to deal with this.

In summary, we and Dublin Bus are working urgently to deliver acceptable reliability on the new services. We shall of course be keeping operation under close review as the measures described above are introduced. Please do let me know if there are any further questions arising at present.

Yours Sincerely

Richard Kelly

NTA Oireachtas Liaison