Week commencing: Sunday 26th December 2010:

Week commencing: Sunday 19th December 2010:

Happy Christmas!

Hope you're having a great Christmas, this weeks update will be quite short, turkey sandwiches are calling!

Finally managed to catch a debranded Airlink... VG47 & 48 are now in a base Airlink livery with no logos following a revision of the timetable and a lower vehicle requirement. I has not managed to get a photo of one... until now.

VG47 is seen here passing through Drumcondra en route to the city centre ironically on the Airlink 747 service...
Our final message for this week comes courtesy of Dublin Bus Tours...

Week commencing: Sunday 19th December 2010

Week commencing: Sunday 19th December 2010:

To the Airport...

This week we travelled out to Dublin Airport to see the new Terminal, T2
The Dublin Bus Airlink 747 & 748 services and Aircoach services towards Dublin City Centre now serve T2 in both directions.

This is fairly straight forward when heading to the Airport, however, after departing Terminal 1 towards the city, buses have to loop the Airport complex to serve T2 and then continue towards the city...

Here Summerhill Garage Airlink VG39 is seen after serving T2 heading to terminate at Terminal 1...
Also seen in the coach park at Dublin Airport is the one solitary Aircoach Scania PB which lives on the Aircoach Dublin Airport / Dublin City / Cork route...

Week commencing: Sunday 12th December 2010

Week commencing: Sunday 12th December 2010
With the number of RV's in the fleet decreasing week by week, we decided to hop on the opportunity to get a spin on one on the 48a, a route which will probably see some change also when Network Direct reorganises services in the Dundrum/Ballinteer areas.
Donnybrook's RV585 is seen here parked up on Parnell Square East. The 48a leaves from Stop PR on Parnell Square East. The bus is awaiting departure towards Ballinteer via O'Connell St., Westland Row, Merrion Sq., St. Stephen's Green, Ranelagh, Miltown, Dundrum to Ballinteer.

The 48a service in inter-worked with the 14 & 14a routes operating from Donnybrook 1, in Donnybrook depot.
RV585 is seen here again at the final outbound stop in Ballinteer (Broadford). The bus then u-turns at the roundabout to park up on the opposite side of the road, and await departure back to the city centre.

Week commencing: Sunday 5th December 2010

Week commencing: Sunday 5th December 2010

This week saw most of the city's snow turn to ice and still cause disruption to public transport in the city. Not being great weather to be out and about, photos this week are limited...

On Harrington Street we see Av114 on the 16a southbound to Nutgrove. At this time all Route 16 and 16a services were operating to Nutgrove, not serving the terminus at Ballinteer...
Phibsboro AV441 is seen heading northbound on a 19a towards Jamestown Road...
Going the opposite direction is Phibsboro's AV431 heading on a 19a south to Limekiln...
Finally, Donnybrook AV256 on the 54a short working to The Square only, not serving Kiltipper. Seen here at Harold's Cross...
Temperatures look to be rising towards the end of the week, so perhaps a thaw will begin...

Week commencing: Sunday 28th November 2010

Snowvember...
Apologies for the delay in this weeks update, blame the snow! :) This weekend saw the return of the aforementioned snow to the city, and in turn weather related disruptions to bus services. We were out and about to photo some of the effects of the snow on Dublin's bus services.
VG3 is seen here near Ashtown, turning short inside the housing estate as the roads further into the estate suffered icy conditions
Summerhill's EV47 is seen here on a snowy Harold's Cross Road heading for Terenure. Due to icy conditions at the 16 terminus in Ballinteer, all southbound 16 & 16a's were operating to/from Nutgrove and therefore displaying '16A Nutgrove'
The city centre didn't escape the snow either, Donnybrook's AV322 is seen here on Eden Quay departing on a 54a towards The Square, Tallaght only and not serving Kiltipper.

For full day to day details on Weather Disruptions to Dublin Bus services, click here.

Week commencing: Sunday 21st November 2010

Today, Sunday 21st of November saw the introduction of Network Direct changes on the Lucan Road corridor. The main changes are the introduction of the 25b to serve Adamstown, in additional to the 25a, these routes operate into the city via the Chapelizod bypass all day, every day. The 25x is now a Dodsboro/UCD Belfield only service. Also, the 25 group of routes has moved from Phibsboro to Conyngham Road. Wedding Bus, EV64 is seen here at the 25a terminus at Lucan (Esker Church).
While in Adamstown AV409 heads towards Merrion Square...
In a welcome change from previous Network Direct implementations many stops along the changed routes had new timetables and customer notices from Day 1.
The 26 has been revised to operate via St. John's Rd., South Circular Road, Chapelizod, Ballyfermot to Palmerstown Cemetery. The 66 remains fairly unchanged, expect the removal of services to/from Kilcock. The 67 & 67a have formed one route, the 67 to/from Maynooth via Celbridge. All services on the 25/a/b, 26, 66/a/b & 67 now terminate on Merrion Square South in the city. AX588 is seen here on Merrion Square South about to depart as a 67 to Maynooth via Celbridge
Conyngham Road has received some AX's from Donnybrook to boost its fleet numbers, AX610 is seen here on the 25b at Merrion Square South...
Finally, the City Centre stop for the 25, 25a (and now the 25b too) has changed from Westmoreland Street to ASton Quay. EV54 is seen loading at Aston Quay heading toward Dodsboro...

Week commencing: Sunday 14th November 2010

This week saw the publication of the timetables for the Lucan/North Kildare network review. These changes come in effect from next Sunday the 21st of November, ad we'll hopefully have some first day operations photos next week, in particular the new 25B route to Adamstown.

For this entry, we're looking at Blanchardstown, and specifically Route 37 to Blanchardstown Road South, known as Blanchs'town Rd. Sth. on a limited space scroll...

VT57 operated the 10.30 ex Burlington Road to Blanchardstown Road South arriving at 11.20 for a return at 11.30. The times on these duties allow for the extension of the route into Blanchardstown Centre, for which VT57 is showing the scroll setting for in this picture...
Also, added to scrolls for short workings to the city only is '37C City Centre', in keeping with the tradition of short working cross city services being suffixed 'C' (ie. 4C, 16C, 19C etc). Like the 37C, the 39C also have new City Centre short working options on the scrolls, however, the 38C & 70C do not. VT57 demonstrates the 37C option here at Blanchardstown Road South.
Also in the past 7 days, we took a trip on northside orbital Route 104 from Clontarf Garage to Cappagh Hospital. AV233 is seen here outside Clontarf Garage heading towards Cappagh.

Week commencing: Sunday 7th November 2010

Week commencing... Sunday 7th November 2010:

STOP PRESS! What's this, an update! Yes, after many, many months of sitting around, the blog is back!

I've decided to return with a weekly update centered around something of interest in the bus world that week. Updates will usually be on a Sunday with a look back at the weeks bus events.
This week saw the Coach & Bus show in the NEC in Birmingham and also the first full week of revised Network Direct services on the Blanchardstown corridor... AX553, AX458 & AV306 are seen on College Street.
Additionally this week... Summerhill started to receive EV's from Harristown to withdraw its WV's... While the WV's were mainly 123 buses and the EV's will likely remain the same, being double deckers it is easier for them to stray... EV38 is seen in O'Connell Street on a 16 towards Ballinteer.
But sights like this will become less and less...
Until next week... Travel safe! :)