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FROM LAST MINUTE shopping to travelling home for Christmas, thousands of people will take trains, trams and buses over the festive season.
Public transport services nationwide will be operating on revised schedules, with pre-booked tickets needed in some cases.
Here’s what you need to know before you embark on your journey.
Bus Éireann services will operate on normal schedules until Saturday, 23 December.
On Christmas Eve, services will operate to a Sunday timetable with earlier final departures of around 9pm.
No Bus Éireann routes will run on Christmas Day.
Services will run based on Bank Holiday/Sunday timetables for St Stephen’s Day, 26 December, from around 9am. Passengers planning to travel are encouraged to check the timetable for their specific routes.
Let Bus Éireann connect you to Christmas and the people you love.
— Bus Éireann (@Buseireann) December 13, 2023
To plan your Christmas connections, see https://t.co/Iih3I72hgJ
Proudly part of the Transport for Ireland Network. @tfiupdates pic.twitter.com/cfdYr7nQkt
Services will have normal timetables from Wednesday, 27 December, until New Year’s Eve, when there will be Saturday timetables.
New Year’s Day buses will operate on a Sunday schedule.
A full normal timetable across Bus Éireann services will resume from 2 January.
“With anticipated high demand, passengers are encouraged to plan their journeys in advance and check the updated timetables on the Bus Éireann website,” a spokesperson said.
Dublin Bus services will run as normal until Christmas Eve, when there will be a Sunday schedule, with last buses at 9pm.
No buses will run on Christmas Day.
On St Stephen’s Day all routes will have a Sunday timetable, beginning at around 9am.
From 27 December to 30 December, buses will run on a Saturday schedule.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day will have Sunday schedules and services will return to normal on 2 January.
Both Luas lines will run into the early hours of the morning on Friday, 15 December, Saturday 16 December, Friday 22 December, and Saturday 23 December.
Trams will finish at 8pm on Christmas Eve and there will be no services on Christmas Day.
The night Luas will also run on New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Day will have Sunday operating hours and normal schedules will resume on 2 January.
For more information, visit the TFI website, or see live updates on the TFI app.
Irish Rail will have revised timetables in place from Christmas Eve until New Year’s Day.
Late night DART and commuter trains to Dundalk, Maynooth and Kildare will run from Thursdays to Saturdays in the lead up to Christmas, and after midnight on New Year’s Eve.
On 24 December, DART and commuter trains will have a normal schedule up to around 9pm.
Intercity trains will also run as normal, with the exception of four late evening services.
Customers traveling on Intercity services at busy times are advised to book in advance at www.irishrail.ie or on the Iarnród Éireann app.
No trains will operate on Christmas Day or St Stephen’s Day.
On Wednesday, 27 December, there will be a Sunday schedule for DART and commuter trains and a revised timetable for intercity routes.
Thursday, 28 December will have a Saturday timetable.
On New Year’s Eve, DART and commuter services will have a normal Sunday schedule up to 10pm on all routes, as well as some late night trains.
Intercity trains will also run on Sunday schedules, with the exception of four late evening services.
A Sunday service will operate on 1 January and normal timetables will resume on all routes on 2 January.
Enterprise
In Northern Ireland, Translink will be undertaking works in the Belfast area, so from 27 December to 1 January inclusive, Dublin to Belfast Enterprise services will operate between Dublin and Portadown, with bus transfers from/to Newry for customers travelling to/from Belfast.
Pity, I was really looking forward to building a snowperson
@Boris Blank: maybe it doesn’t to be identified as a “snow person”
@Boris Blank: Same, although it disgusts me that all snow persons are white. The lack of diversity even in 2023 is awful
@Ceann Cac: excellent point!
@Dave Barrett: true, Dave
@Boris Blank: its only a snowwoman if there’s snowballs
@casio shock: lol
@Ceann Cac: it’s ok to be white and proud :)
@Ceann Cac: privileged White snow person
We’re lucky so. The UK met are warning of serious snowfall across the water over Christmas.
@honey badger: The UK Met are not warning of serious snowfall in the UK at all over Christmas. I suspect you are a tabloid reader?
So if it doesn’t snow on a certain date at a certain time it’s because of climate change, I know met eireann didn’t say that nonsense. Idi ot journalists.
@brendan C5: Do you understand the concept of trends?
@Brendan O’Brien: I do indeed. Like violence, specifically in Dublin, is trending higher.
Last week it said white Christmas this week it says no white Christmas. ???
@Ann Nugent:
I know they change their mind like the weather.
@Ann Nugent: Eh…… no they didn’t.
Blame it on Dickens! Between 1815 abd 1825 there were about 6 ‘Whute Christmases’ in London. Dickens reflected his childhood experiences in his novels, and literally ‘invented’ the so-called ‘traditional’ Christmas beloved by many. Turkey, Pudding, Snow, Carols, all featured strongly and still do. Though white Christmases are an actual rarity the scenes on Chrustmas cards would have you believe otherwise! All thanks to Dickens.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: Theres me thinking it was Coca-Cola, but thats the Santa Claus connection thingymajig whatchamacallit
That’s a shame. Hopefully we get a bit in the new year.
Heavy snow = no visiting inlaws
@Shane O Mac: sounds good
Way back in ’74 Greg Lake was using the lack of snow at Christmas for one of the reasons he no longer believed…
@Gerard Hayden: Possibly one of my favourite ‘Christmas’ songs, even if it is about rejecting Christmas.
There no longer is a white so it will be a no, a yellow or a red Christmas.
@Pato:
Cheer up Cracker….you and the scooter looters can always cheer yourselves up with some supremely white ‘Aryan’ chavwear, some fire accelerant cara matches and the piece de résistance, some>50% ‘pure’ rat poison infused gak/crack for that proper 12 /10 skanger’s shite Crim-bo!! Keep her/him/it lit….while yee can yet! ;@}
Must be that ol climate change again
Shocker there.
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