Transport in Dublin
Passenger traffic to other Irish cities is also operated by Iarnród Éireann from Connolly and Heuston stations.
In November 2016 the Phoenix Park tunnel was re-opened for commuter traffic, and services from Newbridge to Grand Canal Dock were introduced.
The DART line is the only electrified railway in the country and over 80,000 people use it every day making it arguably Ireland's greatest public transport success story.
[8] The DART system was opened in July 1984 and like all other rail service in Dublin, it suffers from overcrowding at rush hours, with expansion plans proposed to increase its capacity by 40% to 30,000 passengers by 2035.
[9][10] Plans for a proposed DART Underground project, to include a tunnel under Dublin City Centre, were shelved in 2011.
A light rail tram network called the Luas, named after the Irish word for "speed".
[18] In 2006, the Railway Procurement Agency announced that the Luas system reached profitability ahead of schedule, after one year of operation.
The plans included a line, proposed to run from St. Stephens Green to Swords via Dublin Airport and the city's northern suburbs.
These proposals included connections with several commuter links (Rail, DART, Luas, Metro and Bus routes) at different points in the city.
As of May 2022 there are an additional seven 24-hour bus services that have been established in the city for which there is no N equivalent and daytime fares are charged all day.
[24] A report by the Night-Time Economy Taskforce in September 2021 indicated that it supports the development of eight new 24-hour bus routes in Dublin.
When the fare for the journey is to be determined by the number of stages to be travelled, the validating machine on the left of the entrance door should be used and the driver informed of the destination to avoid over-deduction from the cash balance on the card.
[citation needed] This information can also be viewed online through the Dublin Bus website and via dedicated applications for smartphones.
A court case regarding the destruction of medieval ruins at Carrickmines Castle delayed the final completion of the route.
The tunnels are deeper than originally planned to reduce disturbance to residential areas, and were built one kilometre longer and with more ancillary works to facilitate this.
The inner orbital route runs roughly around the heart of the Georgian city from St. Stephen's Green to Mountjoy Square and from the King's Inns to St Patrick's Cathedral.
Additionally, another orbital route is being planned in the west of the city, and has been completed between the N7 and the N4 which provides an alternative to the heavily congested M50.
It is planned to extend this to Tallaght, and eventually northwards to Blanchardstown, and then on to Swords in North Dublin.
[32] Two car-sharing systems operate in Dublin, GoCar, which is owned by Europcar;[33] and Yuko, which is owned by Toyota[34] The main provision for cycling in Dublin is a combination of advisory and mandatory cycle lanes or lanes shared with buses and public service vehicles.
Today, the canals, run by Waterways Ireland, are fully operable but are used only occasionally for pleasure craft.
Dublin Port is situated closer to the city centre than Dún Laoghaire Harbour.
In May 2023, Dublin was ranked the worst for public transport among 30 European capital cities by environmental campaign group Greenpeace, in a study based on affordability and simplicity for users in purchasing tickets.
