THE FIRST HIGH-FREQUENCY ‘spine’ as part of the €2 billion BusConnects plan for Dublin is set to begin this weekend. 

The landmark BusConnects plan involves investments in fleet and infrastructure as well as a redesign of Dublin’s bus network.

The plan will see the current Dublin Bus routes throughout the capital abolished and replaced with spines and orbital routes.

The most frequent services will be along key spines that will run every five to ten minutes into and out of the city. The less frequent orbital routes stay outside the city centre and cross various spines. 

Phase 1 of the plan’s implementation sees the H Spine beginning operation.

The H Spine links the city centre to the north-east of Dublin in places such as Howth, Malahide, Raheny and Donaghmede and is set to begin service from this Sunday 27 June. 

There are three slightly different H Spines, H1, H2 and H3, that combined have a frequency of eight minutes, with H1 running every 15 minutes and the other two running every half an hour.

The new routes will stop less frequently than the current routes (29a, 32, 31, 31a and 31b) which will cease from this Sunday. 

The remaining phases of the network will be rolled out over an incremental basis with the National Transport Authority saying that the C Spine towards Lucan set to be launched in the autumn. 

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan this morning launched the new H Spine out in Howth, describing it as “a milestone for the BusConnects project” and saying that it will “also make it easier to enjoy a day at the beach, a walk on the pier, or a bite to eat during the outdoor summer.”

He also defended the fact that the eight spines as part of the BusConnects project aren’t beginning together. 

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“I think a phased basis, going back to the approach we’re taking with Covid, I think a phased introduction of new bus services is going to work better. Just with resources, financial as well as management, and teasing out each route to see how it works.” 

He added: 

“This system, beginning with the H Spine, the spine routes and the orbital routes is going to be much easier to understand, much easier to follow.”

(Read full details on the H Spine)