The well-known bus route that runs from Dún Laoghaire to Dublin, the 46a is being replaced by 24 hour bus routes, the E1 and E2. These will also replace the 145 and 155. The change comes into effect on Sunday 26th January 2025.
This is part of the overall Bus Connects network redesign announced in full detail in 2020. These changes are phase 6a of the network redesign. More on the overall Bus Connects network redesign here.
As well as the 46a being replaced, there are other changes happening to the network as part of phase 6a and I’ve written up local guides for some of our affected areas here:
- Kilternan (63 bus changing to the L26)
- Leopardstown Valley (63 bus changing to the L27)
E1 and E2 serving Leopardstown Rd & Brewery Rd
These buses will serve the existing bus stops at the bottom of Brewery Road and Leopardstown Road. At peak times the E1 will run every 8 minutes and the E2 will run every 8 minutes, meaning a bus every 4 minutes to the city centre. From midnight to 6am each bus will run every 60 minutes. The frequency timetables are here.
Both E1 and E2 will serve the exact same route between Ballymun village on the northside to Foxrock Church on the southside. Both E1 and E2 will go via via DCU, Phibsboro, O’Connell Street, Stephen’s Green, Donnybrook and the N11. The full route maps for the E1 and E2 are here.
The key differences with the 46a, 145 and 155 are that the E1 and E2 won’t serve Heuston Station or the Phoenix Park. But as part of these changes, the 11 bus from Sandyford will now continue to the Phoenix Park and Heuston Station.
Difference between the E1 and E2
On the southside, the E1 will follow the existing 145 route through Shankill, Bray and ending in Ballywaltrim. The E2 will follow the existing 46a route through Deansgrange and Monkstown, terminating in Dún Laoghaire.
On the northside, the E1 will terminate at Northwood just past Ballymun. The E2 will terminate at Harristown, also serving Ikea.
More info
All the general info about these changes as part of phase 6a of Bus Connects are all here. General complaints about buses being late, not showing up or other issues with the bus service can all be reported directly to the National Transport Authority at [email protected]. You can also raise issues with me too on [email protected] and I can pass them onto the NTA on your behalf. It’s still good to give direct feedback to the NTA also.
