22 December 2024
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Iarnród Éireann is reminding customers of rail service arrangements over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
In addition to schedule changes from 24th December 2024 to 1st January 2025 inclusive, and late night DART and Commuter trains on New Year’s Eve, customers are reminded of the full track renewal of the line between Connolly and Pearse from 26th December 2024 to 5th January inclusive. This will result in the line being closed between Connolly and Grand Canal Dock for the duration, with limited exceptions between Pearse and Grand Canal Dock for late night New Year’s trains, and daytime on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd January.
Customers are also reminded that pre-booking is strongly advised on Intercity services, particularly at busiest times.
Full rail services summary – 24th December 2024 to 6th January 2025
Full schedule information throughout the period is available at www.irishrail.ie, and customers are advised to check their times before travelling on Intercity, DART and Commuter, as there are schedule alterations throughout this time on each day.
Customers are advised to note in particular the following:
Christmas Eve Tuesday 24th December 2024
- Weekday InterCity service but with cancellations and alterations on certain routes, with last services between 18:00hrs and 20:30hrs approx.
- DART and Commuter will operate a normal Saturday service with last services between 19:25hrs and 21:00 hrs approx. Please check times at www.irishrail.ie
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- Last services: 19:45 Dublin Heuston/Portlaoise and 19:25 Portlaoise/Dublin Heuston; 20:17 Dublin Connolly/Maynooth and 21:08 Maynooth/Dublin Connolly; 20:50 Clonsilla/M3 Parkway and 21:08 M3 Parkway/Clonsilla; 20:18 Dublin Connolly/Drogheda and 19:48 Drogheda/Dublin Connolly; 21:03 Malahide/Dublin Connolly and 20:57 Bray/Dublin Connolly.
- Phoenix Park Tunnel Commuter (Grand Canal Dock/Hazelhatch and Newbridge) route will operate a reduced service until 19:45 hrs approx.
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- Last services: 18:52 Hazelhatch/Grand Canal Dock and 19:45 Grand Canal Dock/Hazelhatch.
- Cork Commuter will operate a normal Saturday service until 20:00hrs to 21:00 hrs approx.
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- Last services: 20.00 Cork/Cobh and 20.30 Cobh/Cork; 20:15 Cork/Midleton and 20:45 Midleton/Cork.
Christmas Day Wednesday 25th December 2024 and St Stephen’s Day Thursday 26th December 2024
- No train services operating on any routes.
Track renewal Connolly to Grand Canal Dock, 26th December to 5th January inclusive – DART and Rosslare services affected
Iarnród Éireann is to undertake a full track renewal of the country’s busiest section of rail line, the “loop line” between Dublin’s Connolly and Pearse Stations, over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
The works on the line, which sees just under 100,000 train movements annually, will take place from 26th December 2024 to 5th January 2025 inclusive, during the Christmas / New Year holiday season which sees the lowest number of passengers throughout the year. The track works will be the first renewal of the line in 20 years, when similar works took place over Christmas 2004 / New Year 2005.
As a result, the line will be closed between Connolly and Grand Canal Dock throughout this time, with limited exceptions between Pearse and Grand Canal Dock.
- Line closed between Connolly and Grand Canal Dock
- DART services will operate between Howth/Malahide and Connolly Station, and between Grand Canal Dock and Bray/Greystones.
- A limited shuttle bus service will operate between Connolly and Grand Canal Dock in both directions, and Dublin Bus will accept rail tickets for southside customers travelling to/from city centre
- Intercity services between Dublin Connolly and Rosslare Europort will involve bus transfers between Connolly and Bray
- All Northern / Maynooth Commuter services will operate to/from Dublin Connolly only.
Exceptions to the above will be:
- New Year’s Eve from 23:00hrs onwards: Line will be closed from Connolly to Pearse only, to facilitate those travelling home from city centre to southside locations on late night trains after Dublin’s NYE Festival events.
- Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd January from 06:00hrs to 18:00hrs inclusive: Line will be closed from Connolly to Pearse only, to facilitate those early returning commuters travelling between southside and city centre. Southside DART services will operate between Pearse and Bray/Greystones.
Throughout the works, Connolly Station will be fully operational with the exception of platform 7, and Grand Canal Dock Station will be fully operational.
The works will see 2.1 kms of track, across both lines, fully relayed from south end of platform 6/7 in Connolly Station through to Pearse Station.
Newer construction methodology, the use of synthetic sleepers, and technical improvements will give a design life of 40 years to this section of line, doubling the life of the previous relaying from 2004/5. The works will also allow a full inspection of Loop Line Bridge assets.
Other services, 27th December 2024 to 5th January 2025
Friday 27th December 2024
- Revised and reduced InterCity services, check times before travel.
- Revised Saturday service on DART and Commuter routes, including Connolly to Grand Canal Dock closure (see above).
- Saturday service on Cork Commuter routes.
Saturday 28th December 2024
- Normal Saturday InterCity service but with cancellations and alterations on certain routes.
- Revised Saturday service on DART and Commuter routes, including Connolly to Grand Canal Dock closure (see above).
- Normal Saturday service on Cork Commuter and Portlaoise Commuter routes.
Sunday 29th December 2024
- Normal Sunday InterCity service but with cancellations and alterations on certain routes.
- Revised Sunday service on DART and Commuter routes, including Connolly to Grand Canal Dock closure (see above).
- Normal Sunday service on Cork Commuter and Portlaoise Commuter route.
Monday 30th December 2024
- Revised and reduced InterCity services, check times before travel.
- Revised Saturday service on DART and Commuter routes, including Connolly to Grand Canal Dock closure (see above).
- Saturday service on Cork Commuter routes.
- Revised service on Portlaoise Commuter route, check times before travel.
- No service on Phoenix Park Tunnel (Grand Canal Dock/Hazelhatch to Newbridge) route.
New Year’s Eve Tuesday 31st December 2024
- Weekday InterCity service but with cancellations and alterations on certain routes, with last services between 18:00hrs and 20:30hrs approx.
- Revised Saturday service on DART and Commuter routes until 19:25hrs to 21:00 hrs approx., including Connolly to Grand Canal Dock closure (see above).
- No service on Phoenix Park Tunnel (Grand Canal Dock/Hazelhatch to Newbridge) route.
- Cork Commuter will operate a normal Saturday service until 21:00 hrs approx.
- Additional late-night services will operate after Dublin New Year’s Eve events – please note for southside DART, these services will depart from Pearse Station. All other routes will depart from Connolly Station. Tara Street Station will not be open:
- o 01:35 and 02:35 from Dublin Connolly
serving all stations to Howth - o 01:30 and 02:30 from Dublin Pearse servi
ng all stations to Greystones - o 01:50 and 02:55 from Dublin Connolly, serving all stations from Howth Junction to Dundalk
- o 01:25 and 03:00 from Dublin Connolly ser
ving all stations to Maynooth - o 00:50 and 02:50 from Dublin Connolly ser
ving Drumcondra, and all stations from ParkWest to Kildare
- o 01:35 and 02:35 from Dublin Connolly
New Year’s Day Wednesday 1st January 2025
- Revised and reduced InterCity services, check times before travel.
- Revised Sunday service on DART and Commuter routes, including Connolly to Grand Canal Dock closure (see above).
- Sunday service on Cork Commuter and Portlaoise Commuter route.
- No service on Phoenix Park Tunnel (Grand Canal Dock/Hazelhatch to Newbridge) route.
Thursday 2nd January 2025 and Friday 3rd January 2025
- Normal weekday service on InterCity services (except for bus transfers for Rosslare services for Connolly to Grand Canal Dock closure – see above) and Portlaoise commuter services.
- Revised Saturday service with additional peak time services will operate on DART and Dublin Connolly Commuter routes, with the following alterations:
- o Docklands Station will be closed.
- o Northside DART services will operate between Dublin Connolly and Howth/Malahide only.
- o Southside DART services will operate between Dublin Pearse and Bray/Greystones only until 18:00 approx., after which services will operate between Grand Canal Dock and Bray/Greystones only.
- Northern Commuter services will operate between Dundalk/Drogheda and Dublin Connolly only.
- Maynooth Commuter services will operate between Maynooth and Dublin Connolly only.
- M3 Parkway Commuter services will operate between M3 Parkway and Clonsilla only. Customers can connect with Maynooth Commuter services for travel to/from Dublin Connolly.
- Reduced service on Phoenix Park Tunnel (Grand Canal Dock/Hazelhatch and Newbridge). Services will operate to/from Dublin Connolly only. Customers are advised to please check times before travel.
Saturday 4th January 2025
- Normal Saturday InterCity service on all routes, except Dublin/Rosslare arrangements due to Connolly to Grand Canal Dock works (see above).
- Revised Saturday service on DART and Dublin Commuter routes including Connolly to Grand Canal Dock closure (see above).
- Normal Saturday service on Cork Commuter and Portlaoise Commuter route.
Sunday 5th January 2025
- Normal Sunday InterCity service on all routes, except Dublin/Rosslare arrangements due to Connolly to Grand Canal Dock works (see above).
- Normal Sunday service on Cork Commuter routes.
- Normal Sunday service on Portlaoise Commuter route.
- Revised Sunday service on DART and Dublin Commuter routes including Connolly to Grand Canal Dock closure (see above).
Monday 6th January 2025
- Normal service on all routes.
Please check the exact times for your journey before travelling on all routes for all dates at www.irishrail.ie