Irish Rail announces line closures and timetable changes for this weekend

Engineering works will disrupt many rail services throughout the bank holiday weekend

Irish Rail says no Darts will run between Connolly and Howth or Malahide between Saturday and Monday inclusive, with passengers asked to use alternative bus services. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA
Irish Rail says no Darts will run between Connolly and Howth or Malahide between Saturday and Monday inclusive, with passengers asked to use alternative bus services. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA

Irish Rail customers have been warned of temporary timetable changes affecting all routes over the October bank holiday weekend, taking account of major upgrade works and related line closures.

The service will see 350 personnel undertake works across the weekend including overhead line and track renewal, station canopy works, vegetation management and works to prepare for battery-electric infrastructure.

In a statement, Irish Rail drew particular attention to disruption north of Connolly Station extending to Dundalk and Howth where lines will be closed between Saturday and Monday inclusive.

That means no Darts will run between Connolly and Howth or Malahide, with passengers asked to use alternative bus services.

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Commuter trains will also cease to operate for areas including Donabate, Balbriggan and Drogheda, Rush & Lusk and Skerries, with limited replacement buses offered instead.

Bus transfers will operate between Dublin and Dundalk for all Enterprise services, although to a revised timetable.

Routes from Dublin Heuston will also be affected on Saturday and Sunday because of reduced platform availability.

That means on the Waterford to Dublin service, bus transfers will operate between Athy and Heuston.

On trains running between Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Hueston, would-be travellers are advised to check timetable changes, while all direct services between Heuston and Limerick/Tralee have been cancelled.

Those services that have connections into Cork/Dublin trains at Mallow for Tralee customers and Limerick Junction for Limerick customers will operate.

Irish Rails said there will be full services across the rest of the network over the October bank holiday weekend, although with revised timetables.

Meanwhile, additional morning services have been put in place to service those attending the Dublin Marathon – a 7.05am train from Maynooth to Dublin Pearse, serving all stations, and a train from Greystones to Dublin Connolly, serving all stations, at the same time.

For this year’s Cork Jazz Festival, full Intercity services will run between Dublin and Cork, and between Tralee and Cork, while extra late-evening services will operate between Cork and Cobh, Midleton and Mallow.

Mark Hilliard

Mark Hilliard

Mark Hilliard is a reporter with The Irish Times