Dublin's Disconnected Transport System: The Need for Better Integration

Mon 18 November 2024 - Nathan Broderick - CMO of Metro Dublin

Dublin’s public transport system lacks proper integration between buses and trains, leaving passengers with inconvenient gaps and long walks between connections, which undermines its efficiency and usability.

Transport in Dublin City Centre

Dublin’s public transport system has a serious flaw: buses and trains don’t connect well with each other, making it inconvenient for people to travel around the city. The problem is that most major bus routes don’t stop at the main train stations—Pearse, Connolly, and Heuston. This creates a disconnect in the system and forces passengers to walk significant distances to make their connections. For example, there isn’t a single bus route from any of these train stations that goes to important destinations like the Mater Hospital or Temple Street Children’s Hospital. Instead, passengers often have to walk up to ten minutes or more to get from a train station to a bus stop. This makes the public transport system far less attractive and efficient than it could be.

Bus Eireann's 109X bus service on Fredrick Street

In recent years, there has been a strong push in Ireland to encourage people to use public transport instead of private cars. The benefits are clear: fewer cars mean less traffic, cleaner air, and a more sustainable city. To support this shift, new bus routes have been introduced, and older routes have been improved. However, the system still lacks proper integration. This is especially obvious when traveling into Dublin city. For instance, when I arrive at Connolly Station by train, I often have to walk to O’Connell Street to catch a bus to my destination. This kind of disjointed design makes traveling by public transport feel more difficult than it needs to be. Public transport should work like a net, where all the lines and routes connect to allow smooth and easy travel from any point in the city to another. Unfortunately, Dublin’s system feels more like a bunch of separate lines that leave passengers stranded between modes.

The Bus Connects project was meant to improve the bus system by creating nine main spines—A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and O—that serve as the backbone of the bus network. Each spine has several branches, like A1, A2, A3, and so on, to cover different parts of the city. While this approach has made some improvements, it hasn’t solved the problem of integration with the train network. Only a few of these spines connect directly to the city’s main train stations. For example, the C and O spines connect at Heuston Station, the H and O spines connect at Connolly Station, and the G and C spines connect at Pearse Station. The rest of the spines stop farther away, such as on O’Connell Street or James’s Street, leaving passengers with long walks to transfer between trains and buses. This creates large gaps in the system. For instance, if you need to get from the Mater Hospital to Connolly Station, you’ll likely have to walk quite a bit to reach your connection. This isn’t practical, especially for people with mobility issues, parents with children, or anyone carrying heavy bags.

The current layout makes Dublin’s public transport feel disconnected. To fix this, small adjustments could be made to the bus routes to ensure they connect directly with Pearse, Connolly, and Heuston stations, creating real "transport hubs." These hubs would allow passengers to switch between buses and trains without long walks, making the system far more user-friendly. For example, while major bus routes could still pass through busy areas like O’Connell Street or the Quays, their paths could be slightly modified to stop at the train stations first. This would bring the bus and train systems together, creating a proper network that supports smooth and efficient travel.

Bus Connects Map with Major Interchanges

A better-connected public transport system would encourage more people to use buses and trains instead of driving. This would reduce congestion on the roads, lower pollution, and make Dublin a more sustainable and livable city. It would also make public transport more accessible to everyone, including those who currently find it too inconvenient to use. Until these changes are made, however, Dublin’s transport system will remain fragmented and fail to fully meet the needs of its users. For a city aiming to reduce car reliance and promote sustainable travel, this lack of integration is a significant obstacle. A properly designed transport network would benefit not only individuals but the city as a whole, creating a smoother, greener, and more connected Dublin.

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