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Supporting your journey


Budget 2024 sets out€1.9 billion for green, cleaner travel options such as public transport, walking, cycling and carbon reduction programmes to help support a shift away from car use where possible.

This investment will create a more connected, greener and cleaner transport network for all.

Making it affordable

Cutting public transport fares

In 2023, public transport fares were cut by 20% for all and by 50% for Young Adults:

Ticketing offers

Find out about the latest public transport ticketing journeys and plan your journey:

Plan your journey.

Cycling schemes

Cycle to Work

The Cycle to Work scheme aims to encourage you to cycle to and from work. Under the scheme, your employer can buy a bicycle and safety equipment for you.

Cargo bikes and e-bikes are included as part of the scheme.

Bike rental schemes

Bike rental schemes are a great way of getting around our cities. Bike stations are located at various locations throughout the cities to provide a sustainable and convenient means of transport:

Several private companies also offer shared bike services in different parts of the country, including both push bikes and e-bikes.

Electric Vehicle (EV) grants

Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) is the dedicated office within the Department of Transport to support consumers, the public sector, and businesses to continue to make the switch to zero emission vehicles.

ZEVI Grants and Schemes for Zero Emission Vehicles.

Making better, sustainable connections

Improving bus services

Rural bus services

We are improving bus services across Ireland. Since 2022, over 100 new or enhanced bus routes have been launched nationwide. In 2023, the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan:

• Launched 65 new and enhanced services.

• Saw a 36% patronage increase on the enhanced bus services.

• Connected 190 towns and villages, 34 colleges, 42 hospitals and provided 49 connections to rail

services.

• Provided over 800,000 passenger journeys on new and enhanced services.

• 366,100 people now have access to the new and enhanced bus services.

Urban bus services

BusConnects will be delivered in all of Ireland’s five cities by the end of the decade. This programme will significantly enhance the quality of public transport in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford and also include the parallel development of high-quality cycle lanes.

BusConnects includes eight initiatives:

  • redesigning the bus network
  • building new bus corridors and cycle lanes
  • implementing a state-of-the-art ticketing system
  • implementing a cashless payment system
  • simpler fare structure
  • new bus stops and shelters
  • new Park & Ride sites in key locations
  • transitioning to a new zero emissions bus fleet

For more on BusConnects initiatives in each city:

Electrifying the bus fleet

421 electric buses are due to enter service across the country during the next 24 months, providing a quieter and cleaner service and a more pleasant journey for passengers.

Athlone bus electrification

  • Athlone is home to Ireland’s first fully electric town bus service, launched in January 2023 following government investment of €10 million
  • more than 540,000 km are operated on the town service annually, with more than 10,000 passenger journeys every week
  • since the project’s launch in January 2023 the 11 electric buses have collectively completed over 140,000 emission-free kms
  • Passenger numbers on this bus service have increased by 40% on 2019

Dublin

  • driver training, vehicle testing and route piloting is underway with the first of the batter electric buses that have arrived in Dublin
  • these are among the first of the 120 vehicles which were initially ordered in June 2022
  • the training and piloting programme is underway with drivers from the Phibsboro and Summerhill depots with a total of 760 drivers due to be trained on the new buses in the coming months
  • the vehicles are currently being charged via the chargers already installed for the previously-purchased hybrid diesel-electric buses
  • a depot electrification project is underway to install multiple electric chargers in Summerhill and Phibsboro depots for the new electric fleet

Limerick

• In April 2024, 34 all-electric buses were introduced to the Bus Éireann fleet in Limerick, with a further 21 electric buses to join the fleet in early 2025.

• Once all 55 state-of-the-art electric buses are introduced, the service will operate more than 2.1million emission-free kilometres across Limerick city annually.

• Bus Éireann drivers and mechanics have undergone a comprehensive training programme on the driving, maintenance, and operation of the new fleet.

• Limerick city services recorder 4.6 million passenger journeys in 2023, a 15% increase on 2022.

Galway

  • Bus Éireann’s city service has been a fully hybrid city service since 2021
  • plans to electrify the Galway depot are currently at design phase. The depot will provide for electric and hybrid buses

Cork

  • planning permission is currently being sought for an additional temporary bus depot to enable the bus service increases planned for the city and facilitate the electrification of the fleet
  • planning and design work for the electrification of the existing Capwell depot is underway

Plan your bus journey.

Growing the rail network

Investment in new trains

To assist the planned expansion of rail services and to cater for growing demand, two major fleet orders are being progressed which will support the commuter and intercity network and the expansion of the DART under the DART+ Programme. 41 new intercity carriages will enter service from December 2023 onwards. In addition, 185 new electric and battery-electric DART+ carriages are on order as part of the DART+ programme.

DART+ Programme

The DART+ Programme will revolutionise travel in the Greater Dublin Area. It will see the DART network treble in size from its current 50km, bringing frequent commuter services and all its benefits to new and existing communities as far as Drogheda, Maynooth/M3 Parkway and Hazelhatch.

Cork Area Commuter Rail

The Cork Area Commuter Rail programme is a transformative improvement programme for the Cork Rail Network. It will ultimately deliver increased train capacity and frequency, new stations and low-emission trains, providing more connected communities and a more sustainable transport network.

Phase 1 of the works is already underway with the support of EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funding and will see the redevelopment of Kent Station, double-tracking between Glounthane and Midleton, and network-wide resignalling delivered by the end of 2026.

Cork Line Level Crossings Project

The Cork Line Level Crossings Project will identify the best approach to removing/upgrading seven level crossings located along the main Cork to Dublin line. These level crossings are being upgraded/removed to provide a safer environment for those living near the rail line and a more efficient service for all rail passengers.

Limerick, Galway and Waterford commuter rail improvements

Works underway to enhance rail services in our other major cities include:

  • Limerick: Planning and design work for a new station at Moyross, and to double-track Limerick to Limerick Junction are underway
  • Galway: A major redevelopment of Ceannt Station, Galway to cater for future expansion and integrate with all transport modes; and a second platform and passing section of track at Oranmore are being developed, to increase commuter train frequency. Both projects are being funded under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund programme
  • a new integrated transport hub, including a relocated Plunkett Station, Waterford, is being developed as part of the Waterford North Quays project

Limerick to Foynes Freight Line

The 42km stretch of railway between Limerick and Shannon Foynes originally opened in 1858 but has been inactive since 2001. In late 2022, rehabilitation works commenced on the line with a view to it reopening for regular freight services in the coming years, possibly as soon as 2025.

National Train Control Centre

As the frequency and capacity of the rail system continues to expand in the coming years, the new National Train Control Centre (NTCC) will support the improved management and regulation of train movements from one central location. The centre will also provide real-time customer information at stations at www.irishrail.ie and on social media platforms.

Strategic Rail Review

The Department of Transport (Ireland) and the Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland) have published a joint draft report of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review putting communities across the island on track for a new age of rail.

It is the first All-Island Rail Review, setting out 30 recommendations for developing a rail network that would significantly benefit commuters, communities, businesses, the environment and economies of both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The review has been published alongside the associated Strategic Environmental Assessment, and are being finalised following a the public consultation in 2023.

Further information on the review and the associated public consultation.

Plan your train or DART journey.

Safe walking and cycling routes

In 2024, €362 million has been allocated to walking and cycling infrastructure in Ireland. This latest allocation means that 2024 will be the year that the Government’s total investment for active travel infrastructure since 2020 will pass the €1 billion mark.

Since 2020, over 600km of walking, wheeling, and cycling has been delivered.

with a view to creating safe routes and sustainable connections to cities, towns, and villages all over Ireland. By 2025, this number will increase to around 1,000km in total.

Cycling strategy

CycleConnects

CycleConnects: Ireland’s Cycle Network aims to improve sustainable travel by providing the potential for more trips on a safe, accessible and convenient cycle network, connecting more people to more places within our towns and cities.

The public consultation on CycleConnects is now complete and further information on the proposal and submissions is available.

National Cycle Network

The National Cycle Network (NCN) will inform the establishment of a coordinated network that brings existing and proposed cycle routes together, linking urban centres across the country.

The National Cycle Network Plan (NCN) plan was published in January 2024. The plan sets out a network of 3.500km of safe, high quality cycle route4s which will link over 200 cities, towns, and villages across the country.

The NCN will be implemented on a phased basis, with approximately 1,000km of the network to be delivered by the end of 2030.

Cycle Right Programme

The Cycle Right Programme is designed to give school children the skills to confidently and safely cycle using both the cycling infrastructure and the road network. Over 115,000 children have completed this programme since it started in 2017.

Other cycling schemes

Cycle Friendly Employer Scheme

Greenways

There are 350km of Greenways in Ireland, funded by the Department of Transport. This year, €72 million has been allocated to Transport Infrastructure Ireland and local authorities nationwide to develop new Greenway projects.

It is anticipated that 65km of Greenway will be delivered in 2024, connecting towns and communities and allowing walking and cycling to be a viable transport option.

Greenways are routes which exceed 20km in length, although shorter distances may be funded to link existing Greenways to longer, more strategic routes.

Find out more about Greenways in Ireland:

Safe Routes to School

The Safe Routes to School programme is designed to encourage as many pupils and students as possible in primary and secondary schools to walk and cycle. The programme aims to deliver safe walking, scooting and cycling infrastructure on key routes to schools, provide front of school treatments and provide bike parking.

There are now 275 schools in the programme at various levels of delivery.

Hear from children in Limerick and Dublin about how Safe Routes to School has benefitted their school:

Pathfinder Programme

The Pathfinder Programme consists of 35 transformative transport projects which will be delivered by 2025.

Local authorities and agencies around the country will deliver these public transport, walking and cycling projects over the next three years.

Taken together, the selected pathfinder projects will begin to transform how we move, work and live across the country. In addition to showcasing the appetite for change which exists throughout the country, the programme closely aligns with evidence-based practice for reducing emissions from transport through systemic change. The projects be split into six categories:

  • National Impact: includes CycleConnects, a national brand coordinating high-quality cycle routes in urban areas
  • Cycle Network/Corridor Proposals: projects such as West Wexford Urban Cycle Network, Sligo Cycle Corridor and Meath Rural Cycleway Rapid Development
  • Public Transport: projects such as Moyross Train Station and Athlone Bus Electrification
  • 15 Minute Neighbourhoods: projects such as the Letterkenny Active Travel Town and Naas Mobility Network and the 5 Cities Active Travel Demonstrators
  • Serving Schools/Universities: projects like the acceleration of the Safe Routes to School Programme, Limerick University Connectivity, BusIT2School in Co. Meath
  • Workshops and Research: includes nationwide Sustainable Mobility Training Workshops and Leitrim “Green Mile” Mobility Pilot

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