Dublin & Ireland

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RE: Dublin & Ireland
Route 100X - Dundalk to Dublin via Drogheda and Dublin Airport has received new i6s/ SEs to replace the delapidated LEs. New shiny coaches look well in the sun today:

SE64 Drogheda Bus Station 7 March 2026


SE65 Butt Bridge 7 March 2026


SE65 Butt Bridge 7 March 2026


SE66 Custom House Quay 4 March 2026

[Metroline1511]

RE: Dublin & Ireland
^^^^^^^

Nice idea, but they still look the same design as many other Expressway coaches.

[redstar]

RE: Dublin & Ireland
There is significant disruption at present around Ireland due to Truck/ Farm Contractors protesting about high fuel costs. Included are some bus operators, notably those without significant NTA contracts. Talk of sending the army in to move some of the blockades, but nothing on that yet.
Anyway, bus services are operating and certainly in the suburbs disruption is not a big issue. I was in Maynooth today and took these pictures.

251D3550 Parson St. Maynooth 10 April 2026 - Route 139 Naas to Blanchardstown. Sadly these buses use vinyl rather than paint... vinyl always falls off over time.


11621 Straffan Road, Maynooth 10 April 2026 - Very much outer orbital route W6 which operates between Tallaght and Maynooth, currently operated by Go Ahead.


SG247 Straffan Road, Maynooth 10 April 2026 - Route C3 Maynooth to Ringsend Road.


PA276 Straffan Road, Maynooth 10 April 2026 - Route C4 goes from Maynooth to Ringsend Road but via Celbridge. The C3 goes via Lucan.
More here from the month:
https://transportsceneireland.smugmug.co...April-2026

[redstar]

RE: Dublin & Ireland
First/ Aircoach seem to make very odd commerical/ vehicle purchasing decision in recent times. The acquisiton of the ex Glasgow Enviro400s is an example, they have been in store a long time now.

20969 North Wall Quay 15 April 2026 - This came from Matthews Coaches, also part of First but not much in the way of changes there to date. This coach looks well in Blue, but where is is going and as far as I know it is the only one in the Aircoach fleet to date. Apparently this is one of the regular coaches on the Cork route.


11565 Collins Avenue 15 April 2026 - GAI operated route 220, generally Streetlite operated, though these double deckers do appear regularly enough.


SE72 North Wall Quay 15 April 2026 - One of the new bred on the 32 route. Expressway are giving up the 4 Dublin to Wateford and the eastern section of the 40 between Waterford and Rosslare/ Wexford. The 40 between Tralee/ Cork and Waterford will continue to operate. The 52 was also due to be cancelled but this has deemed worthy of keeping in the form of a PSO route. Route 310 will pass from Dublin Coach to Bus Éireann this weekend. A significant upgrade from clapped out ex Arriva T Class Enviro400s to Electroliners.

[redstar]

RE: Dublin & Ireland
Couldn't travel too far this evening, all within a mile of home, but a bit to see.


AX635 Swords Road, Santry 29 April 2026 - View looks semi-rural, this part of Santry hasn't been rural since the 1960s! Santry is the edge of the city area, anyone who has taken Dublin Bus to and from the city would enter the city area through here. Plenty of bus routes meet or converge through here. The AXs live on, but the Electroliners seem to be entering service at four a week recently, so their time may be limited.


11616 Swords Road, Santry 29 April 2026 - Orbital route N6. The real successor to the 17A, though the N4 did replace a significant section of the 17A.


EW227 Swords Road, Santry 29 April 2026 - The 33 to Balbriggan is one of the longer Dublin Bus routes, there is a more frequent service to Skerries, with extended journeys continuing the additional 4 miles to Balbriggan. GAI route 33A also operates between Swords and Balbriggan, with a variation between Skerries and the Airport. All very confusing! EW227 is a recent entry into service, and there is no issue using these on such a long route, journey time is just under two hours.


EW223 Coolock Lane 29 April 2026 - Based out of Harristown, the latest depot to go electric, and the 27B was the first route here to be converted.


GT43 Collins Avenue, Whitehall 29 April 2026 - the every busy N4.


12111 DCU 29 April 2026 - The meandering 220 route. A lovely trip in a Streetlite..


11506 Collins Avenue, Whitehall 29 April 2026 - GAI have apparently regained their contract for Outer Dublin Services. The contract is complicated, I think it is something along the line that they operate 15% of the City Network. The new contract sees their fleet increase from over 200 buses to 350+, which is significant. The one garage in Ballymount will be joined with a northside depot in Ballycoolin and a recently opened sub depot in Greystones. The fleets composition will change but somewhat interestingly is that the 40 Streetlites at present will reduce to 25 over the course of the contract.

More here:
https://transportsceneireland.smugmug.co...April-2026