Overview of Service Amendments
From 8 February, the National Transport Authority (NTA), in partnership with Dublin Bus, will implement a series of amendments to Routes 80, 23 and 24.
These changes, affecting Chapelizod and Finglas in particular, were previously announced and followed a review of service performance, feedback from customers and discussions with local representatives before Christmas.
Background to the Changes
The amendments respond to issues that arose since the launch of Phase 7 of BusConnects in October. Routes 23, 24 and 80 have experienced ongoing reliability issues, primarily due to high levels of traffic congestion on new city centre alignments, alongside wider driver availability constraints.
The changes are designed to improve service reliability while retaining strong connectivity to key city centre destinations, including the O’Connell Bridge area.
Changes to Routes 23 and 24
Routes 23 and 24 currently operate via Bridge Street, High Street and Christchurch, where there has been heavy and unpredictable traffic in recent months, with limited bus-priority measures.
To address this, both routes will now operate along the Quays crossing the River Liffey at O’Connell Bridge, before continuing past Trinity College to their existing terminus at Merrion Square.
This routing change is expected to significantly improve reliability while restoring direct access to the O’Connell Bridge area, previously served by Route 83.
Changes to Route 80
Route 80 currently operates between Liffey Valley and the south city, via Chapelizod, and through the city centre via the Quays, Bridge Street, High Street and South Great George’s Street.
From 8 February, Route 80 will operate on an interim basis along the existing Route 80 alignment as far as Bridge Street, then divert to continue along the Quays to O’Connell Bridge, College Green and Dame Street then onto South Great Georges Street to resume its current alignment to Palmerston Park.
Future Adjustments and Route Integration
At a later date but before the planned closure of Dame Street between College Green and South Great George’s Street, which is required to facilitate Dublin City Council’s College Green Pedestrian Plaza scheme, the temporary rerouting will be removed. Once this happens, routes 80 and 130 will be brought together to form a single cross‑city service.
The new combined route will operate along the north and south quays between Liffey Valley and Clontarf, providing a continuous link between Heuston Station O’Connell Bridge and the Custom House.
It is currently expected that the combined Route 80 and Route 130 service will be introduced in 2027.
Amendments are a direct response to customer and community feedback
Speaking about the changes, Jeremy Ryan, Director of Public Transport Services, said:
“These amendments are a direct response to customer and community feedback and are aimed at improving reliability, resilience and connectivity across the network. We will continue to monitor the performance of these routes closely and make further adjustments where necessary to ensure passengers experience a more dependable service.”
For more information, visit BusConnects Network Redesign Phase 7: F-Spine