Public Transport in Ireland – Rail, Bus, Metro and What is Changing

Public transport in Ireland is receiving the largest investment in the history of the State. The 2026-2030 Sectoral Investment Plan commits approximately €10.1 billion to public transport – covering heavy rail, light rail, bus networks, metro construction and fleet electrification. Projects that have been discussed for decades are finally moving from planning into procurement and construction.

Yet the picture is not uniformly positive. Service gaps persist in rural areas, delivery timelines have slipped on several major projects and congestion continues to undermine bus reliability in Ireland’s cities. This guide examines the current state of public transport across Ireland and where it is heading.

🚆 Heavy Rail – DART+, Commuter Rail and Intercity

Iarnrod Eireann operates Ireland’s heavy rail network, providing intercity services between Dublin and Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Sligo and other regional centres, alongside commuter services in the Dublin, Cork and Limerick areas. The DART electrified commuter rail service runs along the east coast between Malahide/Howth and Greystones.

The DART+ programme represents the most ambitious rail investment in a generation. It will expand and electrify Dublin’s commuter rail network across multiple routes. DART+ West will electrify the Maynooth line and extend services into the city centre via a new Spencer Dock station. DART+ Southwest will upgrade the Kildare line. DART+ Coastal North will improve services northward toward Drogheda. Railway Orders have already been received for the West, Southwest and Coastal North elements.

Key milestones in the current plan include construction of the new Spencer Dock station and DART+ depot, electrification of DART+ West, extension of DART services to Wicklow Town and improvements along the Bray to Greystones section. The existing DART train fleet is being replaced, with new hybrid battery-electric trains expected to begin serving the northern line from Q2 2027.

Outside Dublin, the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme is the headline project. Phase 1 is targeted for completion by Q4 2026, with Phase 2 expected to start by 2029. The programme will significantly enhance rail connectivity across the Cork metropolitan area, supporting the city’s ambition to become a major counterbalance to Dublin.

The Western Rail Corridor – the reinstatement of the rail line between Athenry and Claremorris – is expected to begin construction in 2028, with a new station at Moyross planned along the existing corridor. The Galway Ceannt Station and Waterford Plunkett Station are both undergoing redevelopment, and a series of new passing loops and platform extensions across the national network will boost resilience and capacity.

The long-discussed Navan rail line is also set to progress through planning during the 2026-2030 period, though a construction date has not been confirmed.

🚇 MetroLink – Ireland’s First Metro

MetroLink is the most significant individual transport project in Irish history. The 18.8-kilometre automated metro line will run from Swords in north Dublin through Dublin Airport to Charlemont in the south city centre, with 16 stations along the route. It will be driven by two tunnel boring machines excavating through glacial tills and alluvial soils, reaching depths of 30 metres.

The Railway Order granting full planning permission was issued in late 2025 by An Coimisiun Pleanala. In February 2026, TII commenced procurement for the major civil infrastructure contracts (M401 and M402), which cover heavy tunnelling, track alignment, stations and structures. An additional €2 billion from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund has been ring-fenced for the project on top of the core public transport allocation.

TII has assembled a delivery team led by Turner and Townsend and WSP, with AtkinsRealis designing advance works and IDOM and Jacobs producing engineering studies for tunnels, stations and railway systems. Construction is expected to begin in late 2027, with services potentially commencing in the mid-2030s.

MetroLink will transform connectivity for the Swords corridor (estimated population over 50,000), provide the first direct rail link to Dublin Airport and create interchange connections with the Luas, DART and bus networks at multiple stations. It is also expected to unlock significant housing development along the route through transport-oriented development.

🚌 BusConnects – Redesigning Urban Bus Networks

BusConnects is the NTA’s programme to transform bus services across Ireland’s five main cities. The programme has three main pillars: redesigning route networks for better coverage and frequency, building dedicated bus corridors to improve reliability, and transitioning to a zero-emission fleet.

In Dublin, the network redesign has been rolling out in phases since 2023. Phase 7, the F-Spine, launched in October 2025, with the A-Spine routes expected in autumn 2026. The rollout has not been without controversy – the launch of Phase 7 drew criticism over reliability issues, route alignment changes and driver availability problems, leading the NTA to amend several routes from February 2026 following public protests in Finglas and Chapelizod.

The 12 Core Bus Corridor (CBC) schemes in Dublin have all received planning approval from An Coimisiun Pleanala, delivering 230 kilometres of dedicated bus lanes and over 200 kilometres of cycle tracks. Construction on the Ballymun/Finglas to city centre corridor is planned to begin by Q3 2026, with the Liffey Valley to city corridor targeted for completion by Q2 2028. Four CBCs are planned for completion by 2030.

The transition to zero-emission buses is progressing. As of late 2024, 110 electric buses were in service across Dublin, operating from electrified depots at Summerhill and Phibsborough. The fleet covered nearly 2 million kilometres in 2024, avoiding approximately 1,900 tonnes of CO2 emissions compared to diesel equivalents.

Beyond Dublin, BusConnects is at varying stages in other cities. Cork’s new network – offering a 50% increase in service levels, two 24-hour services and seven all-day high-frequency routes – is scheduled for implementation in 2026, with statutory consent applications for Sustainable Transport Corridors expected on a phased basis from early 2026. Galway’s programme faces a High Court challenge over plans to restrict private car access in the city centre during peak hours. Limerick’s new bus network has been pushed back to at least 2027. Waterford’s new network is planned for 2027.

The TFI 90-minute fare – allowing free transfers between bus, DART and Luas within 90 minutes of tagging on – was used 29.8 million times by bus passengers in 2024, demonstrating the impact of integrated ticketing on public transport use.

🚋 Luas and Light Rail

The Luas tram system in Dublin carried 55 million passengers in 2025 across two lines and 67 stops, making it one of Ireland’s most successful public transport investments. The next extension – Luas Finglas – received planning permission in October 2025 and will add 3.9 kilometres and four new stops, serving approximately 56,000 people and removing an estimated 440,000 private car journeys from the route annually.

TII’s longer-term Luas 2050 vision proposes further extensions to Bray, Lucan and Poolbeg, two new circular lines around the Dublin city outskirts, and an orbital route outside the M50. A Luas-style system for Cork was re-announced in April 2025, with a proposed 17-kilometre line from Ballincollig to Mahon Point.

🚐 Rural and Regional Transport

Public transport outside the main cities remains a significant challenge. Many rural communities have limited or infrequent bus services, with no rail connection at all. The Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan, delivered through the NTA, has expanded local link services and improved frequency on some regional routes, but coverage remains patchy.

The Government has committed to expanding Smart Demand Responsive Transport – flexible, on-demand services that operate in areas where fixed routes are not viable – alongside Bike Libraries and shared mobility schemes. New town bus services are also being introduced, with Mullingar among the towns receiving new services in 2026.

Despite these efforts, the reality for most of rural Ireland is that roads and private cars remain the primary means of transport. The allocation of €718 million for regional and local roads in 2026, alongside €360 million for active travel, reflects the recognition that rural connectivity depends on a mix of road quality, targeted public transport and walking and cycling options rather than any single mode.

📊 Record Ridership – 363.5 Million Journeys in 2025

Public transport usage in Ireland hit a new all-time high in 2025. Preliminary figures from the NTA show a combined 363.5 million passenger journeys across all publicly supported services – a 6% increase on 2024’s record total of 343.6 million. This growth marks the second consecutive year of record-breaking figures and confirms that usage now comfortably exceeds pre-pandemic levels.

Dublin Bus remains the dominant operator, carrying 164 million passengers in 2025. Iarnrod Eireann recorded its strongest year ever with 55 million passengers across intercity, commuter and DART services. Bus Eireann served 53.6 million passengers across towns and cities nationwide. Go-Ahead Ireland carried 26 million passengers, an 18% increase reflecting the rollout of new BusConnects orbital routes. The Luas carried 55 million passengers across its two Dublin lines.

The fastest-growing segment was TFI Local Link, which provides rural and regional connections. Local Link recorded 6.97 million journeys in 2025, a 19% increase on the previous year. Three new TFI Anseo demand-responsive pilot services were launched in Achill, Killarney and Limerick, offering flexible app-based booking for areas without fixed routes. Across the wider network, 37 new and enhanced services were introduced under the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.

In Dublin, the shift toward public transport is increasingly pronounced. The Canal Cordon data shows that 58.3% of all morning rush hour commuters entering the city centre used public transport in 2023 (the latest available survey year) – the highest proportion ever recorded. Private car use for city centre commutes has fallen to just 25.3%, the lowest on record. When walking and cycling are included, 74% of all city centre journeys are made by sustainable modes.

⚡ Ticketing, Fares and Accessibility

The TFI Leap Card remains the primary smart ticketing platform across Dublin Bus, Luas, DART, Go-Ahead Ireland and commuter rail services. The 90-minute fare has been a significant driver of multi-modal journeys, and a Next Generation Ticketing system is being developed to replace and upgrade the current platform – though delivery has been long delayed.

The Sustainable Mobility Policy Action Plan 2026-2030 commits to improving transport accessibility, increasing taxi provision, developing Park and Ride facilities and investing in the Safe Routes to School programme. These measures aim to make public transport a viable choice for a broader range of journeys and users.

🔮 The Outlook for Public Transport

Ireland’s public transport system is at an inflection point. The investment pipeline is unprecedented, with MetroLink, DART+, BusConnects, Cork Commuter Rail and the Western Rail Corridor all advancing simultaneously. If delivered on time and to plan, these projects will fundamentally change how people move in and between Irish cities.

The challenges are equally significant. Planning delays, cost escalation, labour shortages and political controversy have all affected delivery timelines. Department of Transport officials have acknowledged that the 2026 budget allocation did not allow enough for new public transport services, and the tension between capital investment in new infrastructure and revenue funding for ongoing operations remains unresolved.

For a comprehensive view of how public transport investment fits within the broader transport picture, see our pillar guide to transport infrastructure in Ireland and our overview of transport in Ireland.