‘Tis the season of late-night parties, last-minute shopping trips and long journeys home. Whether you’re looking to get home late after your Christmas parties, to avoid long delays and busy car parks, or to get to work over the festive period, you’ll need these details of extra services and schedule changes for Irish Rail (including DART), Luas, Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus and Go Ahead.
Remember to check the provider’s website or app for specific times and routes before you travel, and to leave extra time for your journey during the busy holiday period.
IRISH RAIL (including DART)
Irish Rail are offering late-night trains on several lines from Dublin City in the run-up to Christmas, and on New Year’s Eve, allowing you to get home later from that Christmas party. DART, Maynooth, Kildare (Phoenix Park Tunnel) and Dundalk Commuter services all have two extra departures from Dublin city centre on Friday 6th, Saturday 7th, Friday 13th, Saturday 14th, Friday 20th and Saturday 21st Dec, as well as New Year’s Eve, with the last trains leaving between 1:30am and 1:55am. Full details here.
- Friday 20th – Monday 23rd
- Normal service, with additional late-night trains on Fri and Sat (see above)
- Christmas Eve (Tues 24th)
- Intercity: normal service with some alterations until 9pm
- Commuter and DART: Saturday timetable until approx. 9pm
- Christmas Day (Wed 25th) and St. Stephen’s Day (Thurs 26th)
- No service
- Friday 27th – Monday 30th
- Intercity: Saturday service with some alterations and cancellations
- DART and Commuter: Saturday service on the weekdays
- New Year’s Eve (Tues 31st)
- Intercity: normal service with a few alterations until 9pm
- DART and Commuter: Saturday service until 9pm
- Late night trains (see above)
- New Year’s Day (Wed 1st)
- Intercity: normal service with a few alterations
- DART and Commuter: Sunday service
- Thursday 2nd
- Normal schedules resume
DUBLIN BUS
Dublin Bus’s late-night Nitelink service is expanded over the Christmas and New Year period to include some weeknights. You can use your Leap Card (€4.50) or get a ticket in some shops and on the bus (€6.60). Christmas party-goers will be able to get home from Dublin city centre between midnight on the following dates and 4am the next day:
- Thursday 5th, Friday 6th and Saturday 7th
- Thursday 12th, Friday 13th and Saturday 14th
- Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th, Friday 20th and Saturday 21st
- Friday 27th and Saturday 28th,
- Tuesday 31st (New Year’s Eve)
Remember routes 15 and 41 now operate 24 hours a day too. More details here.
There will be a number of diversions in the city centre between Saturday 28th December and Wednesday 1st January, with Custom House Quay closed for the New Year Festival. Full details here.
- Monday 23rd
- Normal service. No Nitelink or tour services.
- Christmas Eve (Tues 24th)
- Saturday service with last departures at approx. 9pm (incl on routes 15 and 41). A full Airlink service will run. No Nitelink.
- Christmas Day (Wed 25th)
- No service.
- Stephen’s Day (Thurs 26th)
- Sunday service. A full Airlink service will run. No Nitelink, and some Term Time departures will not run.
- Friday 27th
- Saturday service, including Nitelink. A full Airlink service will run. Some Term Time departures will not run.
- Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th
- Normal service, including Nitelink on the Saturday. Diversions in the city centre for the New Year’s Eve Festival – click here.
- Monday 30th
- Saturday service, without Nitelink. A full Airlink service will run. Diversions in the city centre for the New Year’s Eve Festival – click here.
- New Year’s Eve (Tues 31st)
- Saturday service with last departures at approx. 10pm. Routes 15 and 41 will stop at 10pm and resume at approx. midnight. A full Airlink service will run. Nitelink will operate. Diversions in the city centre for the New Year’s Eve Festival – click here.
- New Year’s Day (Wed 1st)
- Sunday service on all routes, including Airlink. No Nitelink. Diversions for the New Year’s Eve Festival – click here.
- Thursday 2nd
- Services return to normal, without some term time departures.
GO-AHEAD (BUS)
- Christmas Eve (Tues 24th)
- Normal weekday service on all routes, with last departures between 7:30pm and 8:40pm (check your route here)
- Christmas Day (Wed 25th)
- No service.
- Stephen’s Day (Thurs 26th)
- Sunday service commencing at 9am
- Friday 27th
- Normal weekday service on Dublin Commuter (125, 126, 130) services and route 197
- Saturday service on ODMA routes (Outer Dublin Metropolitan Area – all other routes).
- Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th
- Normal service.
- Monday 30th and New Year’s Eve (Tues 31st)
- Normal weekday service on Dublin Commuter (125, 126, 130) services and route 197
- Saturday service on ODMA routes (Outer Dublin Metropolitan Area – all other routes).
- New Year’s Day, Tuesday 1st
- Sunday service.
LUAS
Special Night Luas services will run on Friday 13th, Saturday 14th, Friday 20th, Saturday 21st and New Year’s Eve (Tuesday 31st). Night Luas tickets costs €4 on a Leap Card or €5 from the ticket machines. Annual or monthly tickets can also be used.
Red Line trams will leave The Point every half-hour between 1am and 3am, going to Tallaght at 1am, 2am and 3am, and to Saggart at 1:30am and 2:30am. Inbound, trams will leave Tallaght at 1am and 2am, and Saggart at 12:30am and 1:30am.
Green Line trams will run every half-hour until 2:50am from Brides Glen to Broombridge, and until 3:06am from Broombridge to Brides Glen.
- Christmas Eve (Tues 24th)
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- Normal timetable until services end at 8pm
- Christmas Day (Tues 25th)
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- No service
- Stephen’s Day (Wed 26th)
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- Services from 9am to 11:30pm at Sunday frequency.
- Friday 27th
- Saturday timetable
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- Sunday 29th: Normal Sunday service
- Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th
- Normal services
- Monday 30th and New Year’s Eve (Tues 31st)
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- Saturday timetable, with Night Luas on NYE
- New Year’s Day (Wed 1st)
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- Sunday service
- Normal service resumes from Thurs 2nd Jan
BUS ÉIREANN
There will be a number of changes to Bus Éireann services over the holiday period:
- Christmas Eve (Tues 24th)
- Normal weekday schedule until 9pm on all services, with a few Expressway services cancelled. See here for full details. Three Expressway services will operate after 9pm – Route 4 from Dublin Airport at 10pm, Route 30 from Dublin at 9:30pm and Route 100X to Dundalk at 9:40pm.
- Christmas Day (Wed 25th)
- No services
- St Stephen’s Day (Thurs 26th)
- Sunday timetable on all services, with some cancellations on Expressway services and three additional departures on Expressways Route X1. See here for full details.
- Thursday 27th to Monday 30th
- Normal service
- New Year’s Eve (Tues 31st)
- All services will run as normal until 10pm, except Route 871/890 (Eurolines services cancelled).
- After 10pm, only Expressway services will operate.
- Route 220 will resume from midnight.
- New Year’s Day (Wed 1st)
- Sunday timetable on all services
Extra late-night services will run on Cork’s routes 215 and 261 (to Midleton and Blarney) on Fri 6th, Sat 7th, Fri 13th, Sat 14th, Fri 20th and Sat 21st, leaving the city centre at 1am, 2am and 3am.
