IARNRÓD ÉIREANN HAS warned customers of changes to train times and services over the bank holiday weekend, with major line works affecting services to commuter towns around Dublin, and to Northern Ireland.
There will be general bank holiday service change across all routes, it said.
A series of works from Saturday 3 August to Monday 5 August will see the line between Malahide and Drogheda closed.
Ongoing works by Translink in Northern Ireland between Portadown and Belfast, which are to continue until the early autumn, will result in all Northern Commuter and Enterprise services suspended, with some bus transfer arrangements in place.
The Dublin to Belfast Enterprise services will be replaced by bus transfers for the full route, Iarnród Éireann said, adding that customers should check its website for details and revised times.
Instead of the trains between Malahide and Drogheda/Dundalk, a limited bus substitution service will instead operate two routes between Drogheda, Balbriggan, Donabate and Connolly; and Skerries, Rush and Lusk, and Connolly.
Customers have been advised to check times before travel, and to book Intercity travel in advance – particularly at busiest times.
People intending to travel by DART to and from the Bray Air Display today have been advised to travel early and allow extra time for their journey. The Air Display is one of Ireland’s biggest free events and this year, will feature a total of 13 performances by a range of display teams.
Organisers are encouraging spectators to use public transport. “Numerous options exist, including bus and train. Again this year, a shuttle bus service will operate to make travel easier for Luas customers attending the event,” a spokesperson for the air show said.
Locals are encouraged to walk or cycle. Additionally, for those who choose to travel by car, the event encourages car-sharing to help reduce the amount of traffic on the roads and minimise emissions.
There will be no parking permitted from 7am and no vehicle access to the event site at Strand Road from 10 am today, including residents and businesses. Mitigation barriers will be in place for the duration of the event. Cars will be towed, organisers said.
All spectators driving to the event must pre-book their parking space online at the official event car parks before attending the airshow.
Attendees have been warned to allow at least an extra two hours of travel time to and from Bray.
“Regardless of your mode of transport, it is recommended that you arrive before 2pm to enjoy a full day of exciting family entertainment and the breathtaking airshow,” a spokesperson said.
Iarnród Éireann warned those attending to begin travelling for the event early as “southbound services will be extremely busy”. If people are travelling southbound on the DART and have flexibility in their schedule, they are being advised to travel away from event times.
“Extra DARTs will operate before and after all the Air Display, and extra staff will be present across the DART network to assist customers and manage capacity,” the railway said.
In December 2023, a probe into an incident on the Dart line ahead of the 2022 Bray Air Display where passengers exited a stalled train before the station and walked along the track found that Iarnród Éireann was “ill prepared” for the incident.
The Railway Accident Investigation Unit published a report into the events of 25 July 2022, when passengers on stationary trains near Bray station forced open the doors due to unbearable heat and headed for the station on foot, causing trains to be halted on both lines.
In total, around 2,000 passengers “self-detrained” onto the railway line that day, according to the report.
Around 472,000 passengers are expected to travel through Dublin Airport over the bank holiday weekend.
Over the four days between Friday and Monday, around 234,000 passengers are set to depart the airport with close to 238,000 arrivals expected. Sunday is expected to be the busiest day of the period with just over 120,000 passengers arriving and departing from Dublin Airport.
Passengers travelling this weekend as well as the weeks ahead are advised to arrive at their terminal two hours in advance of a short-haul flight and three hours prior to a long-haul flight.
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