Dunboyne line times up on journey planner

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/news.asp?action=view&news_id=880

FROM 3rd SEPTEMBER: Dunboyne (M3) Commuter rail timetable details by Corporate Communications

Iarnród Éireann has confirmed the new Dunboyne (M3) to Dublin commuter rail service timetable details, which will commence on Friday 3rd September.

Please search the journey planner on www.irishrail.ie or download the pdf here. http://www.irishrail.ie/your_journey/printed_timetable_pdfs/2010/Dublin%20Maynooth%2010-2.pdf

The new line will branch off the Maynooth line at Clonsilla and serve Dunboyne and M3 Parkway Station, a major park and ride station at the interchange with the M3 north of Dunboyne.

Service pattern upon opening will be at half hourly intervals, and the infrastructure will allow for greater frequency as demand increases.

Journey time from Dunboyne to Dublin will be as little as 27 minutes at peak, with a 31 minute journey time from M3 Parkway Station to Dublin.

The service will be operated by Commuter trains, and services will run to and from Docklands Station on weekdays, and Connolly Station at weekends. Docklands Station provides easy access to the entire Docklands area, including the southside via the Samuel Beckett Bridge, and also allows for easy connections with Route 151 on Dublin Bus and Luas Red Line services.

The new M3 Parkway station will feature a 1,200 space car park, the largest park and ride facility in the country. There will be 300 car park spaces at Dunboyne Station.

A third new station will be provided at Hansfield, a developer led station, providing infrastructure for the Hansfield strategic development zone (SDZ). This station will be subsequently opened when a new link road to allow access to the station is completed by the developer.

The Clonsilla to Navan line was closed in 1963. Dunboyne has not been served by rail since 1947 when the station closed.

[ThomasJ]

timetable booklets available from connolly

[chris]

No bus services to M3 Parkway have being announced.

This is pretty prescient. Surely there is a market for connecting buses from Navan, enabling passengers to bypass the tolls.

Heaven forbid, you could even sell through tickets.

Or did they not build anywhere for buses to stop in the car park?..

[Mark Gleeson]

Bus Eireann still haven't got back to us despite two requests

There are several bus bays provided for at Pace/M3

[chris]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

Bus Eireann still haven't got back to us despite two requests

There are several bus bays provided for at Pace/M3

Thanks. If BE don't do anything, I hope a private operator does.

[comcor]

Where exactly is the M3 Parkway station.

I looked on Google Maps, but not only does it not have the station, it doesn't even have the M3.

[Mark Gleeson]

Its in Pace about 3 miles north of Dunboyne before the turnoff for Fairyhouse

Its in bing maps, well the sat image shows the station underconstruction

[Colm Moore]

http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=53...om=16&layers=M

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=sx5...21&lvl=1&sty=b - these images are of various dates, so if you move about, you see different stages of construction.

http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,701723,743812,6 - access is off the medium sized roundabout to the west of the motorway interchange. If you look at the historic layer, you can see the original railway.

Meath County Council are meant to be working with Irish Rail in improving pedestrian access.

[Mark Gleeson]

Bus Eireann have confirmed that all route 111/112 buses will call at M3 Parkway from Sept 3rd onwards

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...reaking48.html

Dunboyne railway line reopens
TIM O'BRIEN

One of three new rail stations on the reopened Dunboyne railway line is to remain closed until a road is built linking it to the nearest town.

The €160 million, 7.5km service links to the existing Maynooth line at Clonsilla and new stations have been built at Hansfield, Dunboyne and the M3 Parkway, just north of Dunboyne.

The service will open to the public tomorrow morning.

However, Hansfield station will remain closed despite being completed. According to Irish Rail, a road linking the station – which is part of a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) ‑ has not been provided by the developers of Hansfield.

Irish Rail is also seeking amendments to the Hansfield zone to include a car park at the station for commuters. A car park was provided as part of the Adamstown development on the Kildare line, which was opened in 2007.

The new service will transform commuting for residents of Dunboyne and for commuters from across Co Meath, who will use the new M3 Parkway Station, a 1,200 space park and ride facility which allows direct access from the end of the M3.

The service will operate from the new M3 Parkway and Dunboyne stations to Docklands station from Monday to Friday and to Connolly at weekends.

The new service offers peak journey times of 31 minutes from M3 Parkway to Dublin and 27 minutes from Dunboyne, with services operating every half hour in each direction at peak times.

Some 300 pay-and-display car parking spaces are available at Dunboyne, with a further 1,200 spaces at M3 Parkway. The M3 Parkway will be the largest public transport park-and-ride site in Ireland.

Bus Éireann coaches on the Granard-Athboy-Trim-Dublin route will also serving M3 Parkway station

Dunboyne has not been served by rail since 1947 when the station closed. Trains to Navan ceased in 1963.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said people deserve reliable public transport options. "That’s what this new service will provide here in Meath. I have no doubt that it will be a very popular service."

He also reaffirmed his commitment to the reopening of the line as far as Navan, although this was not mentioned in the recent launch of the Government’s infrastructure investment priorities to 2016.

The Minister said planning permission for the line was due to be submitted to An Bord Pleanála in May 2011. “The development and construction of the Navan rail line is a key part of the Government’s infrastructure investment programme,” he maintained.

[Traincustomer]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

Bus Eireann have confirmed that all route 111/112 buses will call at M3 Parkway from Sept 3rd onwards

http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1283360532-111.pdf

The PDF timetable for same is now available. Hard copy timetable leaflets, if not already available, should be available at Busáras soon.

111 is the Athboy/Trim-Dublin route and 112 the Granard - Athboy/Trim - Dublin route.

[Traincustomer]

And...
http://www.irishrail.ie/your_journey...rkwayBuses.pdf

Good to see this integration but it's needed across the whole country.

[dowlingm]

Better would be IE running its own buses to Navan, Trim etc. with through fares. Nah, this is Ireland...

[James Howard]

I used to use the Granard bus years ago and back then it used to let passengers off on O'Connell street. If it still does, I can't imagine there would be much takers for the train transfer particularly if it costs more.

That being said, the journey time is pretty good if you were using this bus route and wanted to go to docklands. 15 minutes running time from Clonsilla to Docklands instead of 24 to Connolly is pretty impressive but I suppose it is a bit useless if you need to connect with the DART or go into town.

If only they could do the same express trick for the Longford trains but keep them going to Connolly. I've never understood why they can't make these just stop at Clonsilla and Dromcondra. If they did that, 4 cars would be plenty for the 6:15 from Longford which has tumbleweeds blowing through it before Maynooth. This same train goes down in the evening with less than 10% occupancy after Maynooth.

[CastaheaneyMan]

So how much is it from Dunboyne to Clonsilla one way - €2.30 as in Short Hop Zone?

[Mark Gleeson]

Should be 2.00 or 2.30 single

IE have not published the fares matrix for intermediate journeys yet

[ThomasJ]

Originally Posted by Cavanrailbus

And...
http://www.irishrail.ie/your_journey...rkwayBuses.pdf

Good to see this integration but it's needed across the whole country.

and here are the bus connection details in the dublin city centre-docklands area
http://www.irishrail.ie/your_journey...landsBuses.pdf

[ThomasJ]

Two things:

1. After the match tonight, people looking to head to dunboyne arrived in Clonsilla. Had to break the bad news to them!

2. Timetable notice at Clonsilla still showing the pre September 3rd timetable

[Mark Gleeson]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

Another classic Irish Rail mess

For reference as is the standard Irish Rail practice stations have to be renamed before opening just to confuse you

Pace has become M3 Parkway (very UK there on the name)

Seems it was to be called Pace

[Colm Moore]

I think "Pace M3" or "M3 Pace" would have beeb a better name.

There is Little Pace a few km away, but I don't think people would confuse them.