Regional and national bus services for Christmas 2013 / New Year 2014

Regional bus services in the Galway metropolitan area over the 2013 / 2014 Christmas and New Year period.

See City Bus and Train Services for Galway, Christmas and New Year 2013/14 for inner-city bus and also rail service information.

This information is for Galway only. Service-changes in other areas are not included.

Galway City Christmas 2013 / New Year 2014 bus and train services

The following information is for 2013. 

Click here for current year details.

Free-pass changes on the Galway / Tuam and Galway / Dunmore serivces.

Burkes have announced that from Friday 20th December 2013, on their Tuam/ / Galway and Dunmore / Galway services ae

• DSP / Social Welfare Free Travel Pass holders need to show a photo ID as well as their FTP, and

• Free Travel Passes may be confiscated if there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the pass is being misused.

Bus cancellations between Galway and Tuam

Burkes have announced that from Monday 16th December these services are are cancelled.

• 6:10am: Tuam - Galway
• 7:30am: Galway - Tuam

Christmas 2013: Extra Saturday services between Loughrea and Galway

Healy's are running extra buses between Loughrea and Galway city on Saturdays between 7-20 December 2013, with stops at Craughwell and Oranmore (Orantown centre).

• Six departures from Loughrea (8am, 9am, 11am 2pm, 5pm and 7pm)
• Three departures from Galway (1:10pm, 4:10pm, 6:10pm)

Direct GoBus services between Galway and Dublin Aiprport

GoBus introduced their Winter 2013/2014 Galway - Dublin City - Dublin airport timetable on Monday 2 December.

The major change is that eight services each day now travel directly to/from aiport without stopping in Dublin City.

Nine services each day now only go to Dublin City, while two travel to the city via the airport.

They have a printable (PDF format) timetable which shows all their Galway / Dublin services on one page.


See also:

• Galway Eastern Regional Buses for details of other Dublin services, 
• Galway Airport Transfers for all airport services.

Minor route change for route 411 - Cappagh Rd, day time services

From Monday 25 November 2013, daytime route 411 - Knocknacarra buses will travel via Lower Fairhill Rd instead of Raven's Terrace.

Evening route 411 services are unaffected by this change.

This is due to a change in the traffic management plan for the Lower Dominic St area announced by Galway City Council.

Galway City Park and Ride for Christmas 2013

The following information is for 2013. 

Click here for current year details.

Changes to Citylinks' bus stops in Dublin

Citylink are no longer stopping at North Wall / The O2 in Dublin, from Monday 11th Novemeber 2013.

The Dublin city centre bus stops that they use are now

• Heuston Station - drop-off by request only
• Bachelors Walk near O'Oonnell St - main inner city bus stop (arrivals)
• Aston Quay near Ha'penny Bridge - pickup point (departures)

See the map of Dublin clity bus stops used by Galway buses for exact locations.

See Regional Buses - East for details all Galway to Dublin bus and coach services.

Christmas Shopping bus and coach trips - 2013

The following companies are providing bus or coach Christmas-shopping  services from Galway city in 2013:

• BusLink aka Farrell Travel - from Galway city to Kildare Chic Outlet Centre and Newbridge Silverware (23 and 30 Nov, 1,7 and 8 Dec), and also Newry and Banbridge Outlet Centre (23 and 30 Nov, 7 and 8 Dec)  Pre-booking essential - call them on 091-844189

Check with the company for timetable, booking and departure / pickup points.  Likely departure points include:

• Galway Coach Station
• Galway Cathedral

Return pickups are most probably from the same place where the bus drops you off - check with the driver on the day.

Services from other towns and cities

• PAB tours
  Three-night coach+ferry trips from Dublin and/or Cork to Birmingham and Manchester

• Kelly Travel
  Day trips from Limerick to Dundrum, Newry and Belfast.

• Pierce Kavanagh CoachesVarious trips to Manchester, Chester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Belfast from Urlingford, Portlaoise Drogheda, Cork, Cashel, J14 Service Centre and Dublin

• J O'Callaghan & Sons
  Overnight from Tralee / Kerry to Dublin

• Celtic Horizon Tours
  Trips from Limerick, Nenagh, Roscrea, Portlaoise, Naas and Dublin to Manchester (Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet and Trafford Centre)

November / December 2013 bus and train fare price increases

Details of  December 2013 public-transport fare increases for Galway have been released by the National Transport Authority.

These fares apply from 1 December 2013 - though monthly and annual ticket prices are being applied in November for tickets for use from December.

The Galway City Bus Fares page will be updated with this information shortly.

2013 October bank holiday bus and train services

Monday 28 October 2012 

is a

bank / public holiday in Ireland.

City Bus Services:

Bus Éireann and City Direct will run their their standard Sunday city services in Galway on Sunday 27 and Monday 28 October.

However some city services are likely to be slightly delayed on late Sunday afternoon (approx 4:45 - 6pm) due to the 2013 Masnas parade.   Affected routes are those which use Eglington St (402, 405, 407) and Spanish Parade (401).

Regional Bus Services:

A standard Sunday timetable applies for most regional and national public transport services on both Sun and Mon 28/29 October.  However:

• One Bus Éireann  Dundalk / Galway service is cancelled on Sunday 27th.  

• On Monday 28 October, Bus Éireann will operate a Sunday timetable with various cancellations, additions and time changes.  For details see their announcement.

• See here for alterations to the Bus Feda services to Sligo and Donegal.

Train services:

Irish Rail have not published news about any service changes for Galway on Sunday and Monday. See their Journey Planner for details of services that are operating.

Galway Airport Park-and-ride service cancelled

The park-and-ride service between Galway Airport and Galway coach station is cancelled, effective from Monday 16 September 2013.

This cancellation is happening two months before the original review date of November 2013.

The closest regular city service to the Galway Airport area is the route 409 - Parkmore bus.

New student bus between Galway and Waterford

Starting on Friday 13 September 2013, JJ Kavanagh are running a new service between Galway city and Waterford City, with stops in

• Carrick-on-Suir (Park)
• Clonmel (Army Barracks)
• Cashel (Buckleys)
• Cahir (Car park)
• Tipperary (Abbey Street)
• Limerick (Arthur's Quay).

Buses run in both directions, every Friday and Sunday - most likely during college terms only. However they are open to all passengers, not just students.

The Galway city pickup point is Galway Cathedral (near NUIG)- see the regional bus stops map for the exact location of this stop.    Note that this service is not advertised as stopping at GMIT.

Fare is between €10-€15, depending on the destination.

Total journey time is 4 hours, 15 minutes. Sunday evening services arrive in Galway at 8:15pm and in Waterford at 1:15am.

See JJ Kavanagh's website for timetable and booking details.

See Galway Regional Buses for other services for 3rd level students.

Buses to the Galway Races September 2013 meeting

Galway Races early-autumn meeting runs from Mon 9 to Wed 11 September 2013.

For this meeting, there are no shuttle buses from Eyre Square or from surrounding towns.

Instead:

• Regular regional bus services can be used to get to Galway City

• Regular Galway city buses route 403 - Ballybrit and 409 - Parkmore buses go from Eyre Square to the Avenue entrance, as shown on the Parkmore neighbourhood map.  Regular city fares apply.

Buses and train services to the National Ploughing Championships, 2013

This information is for 2013.

Click here for this year's information.

The National Ploughing Championships are being held at Ratheniska, Stradbally, Co. Laois  from 24-26 September 2013.

The following companies are providing return bus or coach services from Galway:

• BusLink - daily services, with pickups from Lackagh Church, Athenry Mart and Loughrea Mart.

Check with the company for timetable, booking and departure / pickup points.  Likely departure points include:

• Galway Coach Station
• Galway Cathedral

For concerts, return services generally leave 30-60 minutes after the concert ends, from the same place where the bus drops you off.   Festival arrangements are sometimes slightly different.

Services from other towns and cities

• Bus Éireann will run a shuttle service to the site from railway stations in stations at Portlaoise, Portarlington and Athy.  This service is open to motorists and train passengers.
  See the Irish Rail site for train timetables from Cork, Dublin, Ennis/Limerick/ Galway, Mayo, Kerry and Waterford.  
  Return buses leave from Ratheniska 30 minutes before the ticketed train time, or 40 minutes for Waterford and Thomastown.

• Stephen Butler Coaches buses from Midleton Co.Cork on 24th September.

• Alpha Newspapers Reader Holidays - day trips from Ballymena, Dunsilly, Belfast, Sprucefield and Newry.  Phone +44 028 2766 3537.

• Journey Through Ireland a day tour on 25 September, presumably from their base in Mullingar. Call +353 (0)46 9-555-444 or mail info@jti.ie

• Collins Coaches Buses on 24, 25 and 26 September, from Monaghan, Blayney, Carrick, Ardee. Tel 042-9661631 for bookings

• Mangan Tours are running a 3 day trip from Letterkenny, with accommodation in Carlow.

• Mike Hynan Coaches / Limerick Park and Ride running buses from Limerick on Tuesday 24th and Wednedsay 25th.

• Matthews Coaches are running a bus each day from Inniskeen, Dundalk and Drogheda (M1 retail park )

Extra workers' buses between Tuam and Galway

Burkes Buses are adding to their services between Tuam and Galway City, starting from Monday 2 September, 2013.

Extra services from Tuam to Galway at:

• 6:10am (serving Medtronic in Parkmore West and Boston Scientific in Ballybrit Industrial)
• 8:30am 
• 5:10pm (serving Valeo in Tuam)

Extra services from Galway to Tuam at:

• 7:30am (serving Valeo in Tuam)
• 3:30pm (serving Medtronic in Parkmore West and Boston Scientific in Ballybrit Industrial)

Buses to Electric Picnic 2013

Electric Picnic music / arts / lifestyle festival is being held at Stradbally Estate, Co Laois from Friday 30 August - Sunday 1 September 2013.

The following companies are providing return bus or coach services from Galway city:

• Reaneys of Galway - from Galway city, in conjunction with OMG/Zhivago

• Kelly Travel - buses from Galway (The Claddagh), via Athlone

• Irish Concert Travel - from Galway city and Athlone

• BusLink aka Farrell Travel - from Galway city, with pickups in Oranmore, Athenry and Loughrea.  Buses on Friday, and a day-trip on Sunday.  All bookings by phone to their office: 091-844189

• Bus Éireann - leaving Galway City at 12-noon on Friday, returning at 10am Monday.   Buy tickets in advance from Galway Bus Station. €35.

Check with the company for timetable, booking and departure / pickup points.  Likely departure points include:

• Galway Coach Station
• Galway Cathedral

For concerts, return services generally leave 30-60 minutes after the concert ends, from the same place where the bus drops you off.   Festival arrangements are sometimes slightly different.

Services from other towns and cities

• Electric Picnic are offering a half-hourly shuttle bus from Portlaoise Railway Station - see their website for times, and Irish Rail's site for train times (hourly service from Dublin). 

• Kelly Travel - services from Limerick, Nenagh, Roscrea; Cork, Mitchelstown, Cahir; Tipparary, Cashel, Portlaois.    Includes day-trips on Sunday.   

• Irish Concert Travel - services from Sligo via Carrick-on-Shannon, Longford, Mullingar; 

• Marathon Travel are running a range of services from Dublin, including day-trips.

• Bus Éireann - services from Dublin (Custom House Quay) and Cork via Fermoy, Mitchelstown, Cahir.   Tickets must be purchased in advance. 

• Buses to Concerts - from Belfast, via Lisburn, Banbridge, Newry, Dundalk

Trial ferry service between Ballyvaughan and Galway City

Ballyvaughan Bay Hop have received funding, through the TransTourism Project from the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark to run a trial Ballyvaughan - Galway City ferry service in September 2013.

The service will operate from Monday 2 September until Friday 13 September, in association with local operator O'Brien Line.

• Departure points:
  New Pier, Ballyvaughan  (see their map)
  Galway Docks (new pontoon bsside the RNLI lifeboat station - point 44 on the Docks area map)

• Timetable:
  Mon-Fri, from Ballyvaughan at 7:45am and 5pm,   from Galway 8:45am and 6pm.
  Sat:  from Ballyvaughan 11am and 5pm, from Galway 12-noon and 6pm

• Fares:  
  Single - €12,   Return - €20,   Family Return (2 adults, 2 children under 16) - €45
  Commuter 10-Journey - €80 or an extra discount applies if purchased before 23 August - email gwen@ballyvaughanbayhop.com for a discount code,

• Commuter parking is available at the pier in Ballyvaughan.

The boat is fully-enclosed and can carry 12 passengers - see the Ballyvaughan Bay Hop website for bookings.

Coaches and buses to Eminem at Slane Castle

The following page is for concert transport to Slane in 2013.

Click here for this year's information.

---

Eminem is in concert at Slane Castle, Co Meath, on Saturday 17 August 2013.

The following companies are providing return bus or coach services from Galway city:

• Reaneys of Galway - from Galway city, in conjunction with OMG/Zhivago

• Kelly Travel - buse from Galway (The Claddagh), via Athlone

• Irish Concert Travel - from Galway city and Athlone

Check with the company for timetable, booking and departure / pickup points.  Likely departure points include:

• Galway Coach Station
• Galway Cathedral

For concerts, return services generally leave 30-60 minutes after the concert ends, from the same place where the bus drops you off.   Festival arrangements are sometimes slightly different.

Services from other towns and cities

• Kelly Travel - services from Limerick, Nenagh, Roscrea; Cork, Mitchelstown, Cahir; Tipparary, Cashel, Portlaois.   

• Irish Concert Travel - services from Donegal via Ballyshannon, Sligo via Carrick-on-Shannon, Longford, Mullingar; Castlebar via Claremorris, Castlerea, Roscommon.

• Dublin Bus - services from Dublin, tickets must be purchased in advance.

• Skelton Travel - from Belfast and Lisburn.

• Buses to Concerts - from Belfast, Sprucebridge, Banerbridge, Nerwy.

2013 August Bank Holiday buses and trains

Monday 5 August 2015 

is a

bank / public holiday in Ireland.

City Bus Services:

Bus Éireann and City Direct will run their their standard Sunday city services in Galway on Sunday 5 and Monday 6 August.

The Galway City East park-and-ride does not operate on holiday Mondays.

Regional Bus Services:

A standard Sunday timetable applies for most regional and national public transport services on both Sun and Mon 5/6 August.  However:

• On Monday 6 August, Bus Éireann will operate a Sunday timetable with a number of changes (both cancellations and additions) that affect Galway services.    See their announcement for full detail.

• Bus Feda (Galway - Donegal) will run a limited service on Sunday, and an extended service on the Monday.   See their announcement for details.

Train services:

Irish Rail are likely to have some service changes for Galway on Sunday and Monday, although they have not published any announcements. See their Journey Planner for details of services that are operating.

Bus and coach services to Oxegen 2013

Oxegen Music Festival is being held at Punchestown Racecourse, Co Kildare, over the August 2013 Bank Holiday weekend:  Fri 2nd - Mon 5th August.

The following companies are providing return bus or coach services from Galway city:

• Reaneys of Galway - from Galway city, in conjunction with OMG/Zhivago. From Galway at 10am on Friday, returning ex Oxygen at 11am on Monday 5th.

• Kelly Travel - multiple buses from Galway city, via Athlone

• Bus Éireann: leaving Eyre Square at 12-noon on Fri 2nd, returning Monday at 10am, fare €35, book in advance at the Travel Centre (contact details here).  Note - this service is not mentioned in their on-line announcements, but is advertised on page 29 of the 1 August Galway Advertiser

Check with the company for timetable, booking and departure / pickup points.  Likely departure points include:

• Galway Coach Station
• Galway Cathedral

For concerts, return services generally leave 30-60 minutes after the concert ends, from the same place where the bus drops you off.   Festival arrangements are sometimes slightly different.

Services from other towns and cities

• Kelly Travel - services from Limerick, Nenagh, Roscrea; Cork, Mitchelstown, Cahir; Tipparary, Cashel, Portlaois.   

• Irish Concert Travel - service from Sligo via Carrick-on-Shannon, Longford, Mullingar

• Marathon Sports Travel - working on conjunction with Dublin Bus multiple services from Dublin

• Oxygen - a shuttle bus to/from Naas

• Dualway - a bus to/from the Green Isle Hotel in Newlands Cross - tickets must be booked in advance

• Skelton Travel - from Belfast

• Buses to Concerts - from Belfast, Lisburn, Banerbridge, Nerwy

Buses and trains for the Galway Races 2013 August meeting

The following information is for services to the Galway Races in 2013. 

 See Galway Races Bus Services for this year's details.

Summary

The Galway Races Summer Meeting is from Monday 29 July - Sunday 4 August 2013.

• Bus Éireann special races shuttle buses will run from Eyre Square.  Details below.

• Farrell Travel are running a Nightlink service to/from Athenry daily during race week, and shuttle services from Claregalway Athenry and Oranmore.  Details below.
  

• Both the route 409 - Parkmore  and route 403 - Ballybrit city buses also go to the racecourse (Avenue entrance).  But there are some restrictions during peak racing traffic hours Mon - Fri.  Details below.

• There are some alternations to regular regional buses during race week.   Links below.

• The Park and Ride from Galway Airport to Galway City will operate during race week.

• Some extra train services are running during the week, details below

Race days and times

• Monday 29 July - Hotels Day:   First race at 5:10pm -  last race at 8:15pm 
• Tuesday 30 July:  First race at 5:05pm  -  last race at 8:15pm 
• Wednesday 31 July - Galway Plate Day: First race at 3pm -  last race at 7:10pm
• Thursday 1 August - Ladies Day:   First race at  1:50pm -  last race at 6:10pm
• Friday 2 August - Guinness Day / Local's day:  First race at  5:05pm -  last race at 8:25pm
• Saturday 3 August - Ladbrokes Red Day:  First race at 2pm -  last race at 5:55pm
• Sunday 4 August - Mad Hatters Day / Family day - first race at 2:15pm -  last race at 5:30pm

Special Bus Services to Ballybrit Racecourse

From Eyre Square (Galway city centre)

Bus Éireann are running the races-special service between Eyre Square and Galway Racecourse.

Monday, 29 July and Tuesday, 30 July

• Shuttle buses will leave Eyre Square from 3pm
• The return services will start after the last race, and the last shuttle bus will leave the racecourse at approximately 9:30pm.

Wednesday 31 July and Thursday 1 August

• Shuttle buses will leave Eyre Square from 11am
• The return services will start after the last race, and the last shuttle bus will leave the racecourse at approximately 8:30pm.

Friday, 2 August

• Shuttle buses will leave Eyre Square from 3pm
• Return services will start after the last race, and the last shuttle bus will leave the racecourse at approximately 9:30pm.

Saturday 3 August and Sunday 4 August

• Shuttle buses will leave Eyre Square from 11am
• Return services will start after the last race, and the last shuttle bus will leave the racecourse at approximately 8:30pm.

Fares

• Adult: €6 single and €9 return.
• Children: €3 single and €5 return.
• Free Travel Pass is not accepted on the Galway Races shuttle buses.

Route

Shuttle buses will leave from the west side of Eyre Square (departure point is outside the Skeffington Arms Hotel on the west side of the square (map).   Drop off is through the tunnel entrance, within 50 yards of the course-entry.

These are shuttle buses, and do not pick-up or drop-off along the way.   (See "Regular Galway city services to Ballybrit" below for information about services which do.)

From Oranmore

BusLink are running races-special buses from Oranmore village to the Galway races.

Services leave the astroturf pitches (see the Oranmore neighbourhood map for the location) at the times below, and pick up at the Maldron hotel before going direct to Ballybrit

Monday and Tuesday – 3:30pm and 4:30pm
Wednesday – 1:30pm, then every 15 minutes between 2pm and 3pm
Thursday – 12-noon, 12:30pm, then every 15 minutes between 1 and 2pm
Friday –  3:30pm, 4:30pm, 5pm
Saturday and Sunday – 1:30pm and 2pm

€6 single,  €9 return.

Return buses leave 10 and 30 minutes after the last race each day.

From Athenry:

BusLink are running a shuttle bus from the Raheen Woods Hotel, and picking up ten minutes later at the Arch carpark (beside the two secondary schools).   Bus times:

Monday and Tuesday – 3:30pm and 4:30pm
Wednesday –  1:30pm, 2pm, 2:30pm and 3pm
Thursday – 12-noon, 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2pm
Friday –  3:30pm, 4:30pm and 5pm
Saturday and Sunday – 1:30pm and 2pm

€9 single,  €12 return.

Return buses leave 10 and 30 minutes after the last race each day.

From Claregalway

BusLink are running a shuttle bus from the Claregalway Hotel (see the Claregalway Neighbourhood Map for the location).   Bus times:

Monday – shuttles as required from 4:10pm, and returns from 8:30pm
Tuesday – shuttles as required from 4:05pm, and returns from 8:30pm
Wednesday – shuttles as required from 2pm, and returns from 7:30pm
Thursday – shuttles as required from 12:50pm, and returns from 6:25pm
Friday – shuttles as required from 4:05pm, and returns from 8:40pm
Saturday  – shuttles as required from 1:35pm, and returns from 6:10pm
Sunday  – shuttles as required from 1:15pm, and returns from 6:15pm

Fares - check with the Claregalway Hotel.

From other towns:

Some hotels in County Galway and beyond offer packages including races tickets and access to a shuttle-bus - contact them directly for more information.

Regular Galway city services to Ballybrit

The Avenue (back) entrance to the racecourse (number (5) on the Parkmore area map) is served by these buses, which pick up from all stops along their route:

• Route 403 - from Eyre Square, travesl along College Rd, through Wellpark, Mervue, Castlepark and Ballybrit, then on to Parkmore
• Route 409 - from Eyre Square, travels along College and Dublin and Doughiska Rd

The usual city bus fares (including Travel Pass and TaxSaver tickets) apply.

These routes will end at the Briarhill Shopping Centre Junction (previously called the Lynch Roundabout) between

• 3pm and 5pm on Monday and Tuesday 29 and 30 July
• 12:30pm and 4 pm on Wednesday 31 July
• 11.30am and 3pm on Thursday 1 August
• 4pm and 6pm on Friday 2 August
  

The last bus-stop serviced during these times is at the top of Doughiska Rd (route 409)  or Clayton Hotel (route 403) - both shown on the Doughiska neighbourhood map.

People travelling at these times on route 403 or 409 to the racecourse, or to/from work in Parkmore area   (Parkmore West Industrial Estate, Parkmore East Business and Technology Park, Galway Technology Park, Racecourse Business Park Briarhill Business Park), will need to walk for approx 15-20 minutes from this last stop.   There are now traffic lights at the intersection, but these may be under manual / Garda control.  There is also a pedestrian underpass beside the Clayton Hotel.

NB  These times are based on the overall road closure times in the area, and may be extended if there are traffic management problems in the area.

Changes to regional bus services

Burkes Buses have cancelled these services for Race Week and the following week:

• 7am from Dunmore to Galway. 
• 7am from Tuam to Galway. 
• 5:10pm from Galway to Dunmore. 
• 5:10pm will operate from Galway to Tuam only
• 4pm from Galway to Headford
• 4:45pm from Headford to Galway

Bus Éireann have advertised these changes for Wed 31st July and Thurs 1st August:

• 4:25pm Galway to Longford - delayed until 5:15pm
• 5:45pm Galway to Castlerea - delayed until 6pm

BusLink have advised

• The 5:10pm service from Galway to Athenry will not run between Mon 29th July and Fri 2nd August.
• The Galway City East Park and Ride will operate during race week, but there may be route changes due to the traffic management plan.

All other Galway regional bus services are expected to operate normally during Race Week - though may be delayed due to traffic volumes.

Trains

As well as their standard services, Irish Rail have announced that they are running one extra service each way between Limerick and Galway:

Wednesday 31st

• From Limerick at 9:20am
• Returning from Galway at 8:50pm

Thursday 1st

• From Limerick at 9:20am
• Returning from Galway at 7:45pm

They have also announced that there will be shuttle buses between the new Oranmore Railway Station and Ballybrit during race week:   the service is based on train arrival times - contact Bus Éireann for more details.

Hailo moblile-phone taxi hailing service is now live in Galway

Hailo have announced that their smart-phone based taxi-cab service is now live in Galway,

They report that 150 of Galway's taxi-drivers have signed up to use it so far.

How the Hailo service works

• Taxi-drivers sign up to use the service - this makes them eligible to be assigned to any jobs that are requested in Hailo.
• People who want to use the service download software (the "Hailo app") onto an iPhone or Android phone - see the Getting started page for details.   They they register an account, and may register a credit or debit card as well.
• Then when a person wants a taxi, they use the app:  the phone's GPS works out where they are (the customer can refine this, and add more details), and place an order.   One of the registered taxi-drivers picks it up.

See their website for more detailed information about how the service work.

Advantages of using Hailo

• All taxi-journeys are with registered taxis, and are logged - this makes it safer
• You can pay using your registered card if you want - less cash for you and the taxi driver to carry
• There is no call-out fee.   (Regular fares, including flag-fall, still apply)
• Both the passenger and the taxi-driver get better information.

Note:   the service was only started in Dublin and Cork recently.  It is not yet clear how well it is set up to work in Galway.

See Taxi-offices in Galway for city-centre locations where you can walk-up and request a taxi for no call-out-fee.

Train timetable changes / opening of Oranmore Railway Station

Oranmore Railway Station will open on Sunday 28 July 2013, Irish Rail have announced.

It will be stopped at by some train services on the Dublin-Galway and Limerick-Galway lines.

Location / How to get to the station

Oranmore Train Station is accessed from on the Coast Road, west of Oranmore Village - see the Oranmore Neighbourhood map for the exact location.

Timetable changes

There are some alternations to Galway/Dublin and Galway/Limerick train timetables from Sunday 28th July.

Overall

• Most services arrive at their destination 5-10 minutes later than currently.

Galway to Dublin (Heuston) services

• 11.30am leaves at the earlier time of 11:05am
• 1.30pm leaves at the earlier time of 1:05pm
• 3.30pm leaves at the earlier time of 3:05pm

Train fares

Prices for the Galway / Oranmore journey have not yet been announced.   

But based on the existing Western Rail Corridor pricing grid, standard fares are likely to be:

• Adult single: €5.70
• Adult day return: €8.60

Tickets for this journey are not currently available for on-line purchases.

Buses from Galway to Bruce Springsteen in Kilkenny

The following companies are providing return coach services from Galway city to Nowland Park Kilkenny for the Bruce Springsteen concert on 27-28 July 2013:

• Reaneys of Galway - from Galway city, in conjunction with OMG/Zhivago

Check with the company for timetable, booking and departure / pickup points.  Likely departure points include:

• Galway Coach Station
• Galway Cathedral

Return services generally leave 30-60 minutes after the concert ends, from the same place where the bus drops you off.

Services from other towns and cities

Buses / coaches from other cities are being provided by:

• To be advised

Price increase for car-parking at Ceannt Station, Galway

Irish Rail provide a car-park at Ceannt Station (Galway Railway Station) for passengers.

They have announced that the price for this will increase to €7 (from €6) per day, effective from Monday 15 July 2013.

 This applies to both cash and park-by-text customers.

See:

• Galway City car-parks and parking buildings for other nearby parking options, 
• Galway city public transport sites for the location of Ceannt Station and the car-park entrance.

Buses from Galway to Thormond Park, Limerick for the Bruce Springsteen concert on 16 July 2013

The following companies are providing return coach services from Galway city to Limerick for the Bruce Springsteen concert on 16 July 2013:

• Rearneys of Galway - from Galway city, in conjunction with OMG/Zhivago

• Irish Concert Travel - from Sligo, picking up in Charlestown, Tuam and Galway.

Check with the company for timetable, booking and departure / pickup points.  Likely departure points include:

• Galway Coach Station
• Galway Cathedral

Return services generally leave 30-60 minutes after the concert ends, from the same place where the bus drops you off.

Services from other towns and cities

Buses / coaches from other cities are being provided by:

• To be advised.

Free shuttle bus to the Claregalway Garden Festival 2013

Galway Garden Festival is being held at Claregalway Castle on 6th -7th July, 2013, with opening hours from 11am-6pm each day.

The castle is on the N17 at Claregalway, and there are likely to be traffic restrictions and delays.  Limited free parking is available at the castle.

A free  Bus will run from Galway Railway station to the Festival every hour from 10:30am.

Admission to the castle grounds is €7, and the day is in support of   The Christian Blind Mission and Galway Simon Community.

Related links:

• Regional Buses - for a full list of services to Galway.
• Public transport hubs map - locations of the private bus station and Galway Ceannt Railway Station / Galway Travel Centre. 
• Claregalway neighbourhood map - for amenities in the village

Route 433 (Athlone - Tuam - Mountbellew) is cancelled

Bus Eireann's route 433 (Athlone - Mountbellew - Tuam, 2 services on Friday, 1 on Sunday) is no longer running, effective from Monday 1 July 2013.

See Regional buses - North Galway for other bus services in the area.

Timetable changes for Galway City east-side Park and Ride

BusLink have announced changes to the timetable for the Galway Airport / Galway City Park-n-ride service, effective from Monday 24 June 2013.

Buses continue to run between the airport and Galway Coach Station, with no intermediate stops.

New Timetable

Buses will leave from the airport, Monday-Friday:

• Every 30 minutes between 7:40am and 8:40am, 
• Every 60 minutes between 9am and 4pm 
• Every 30 minutes between 4:20pm and 5:50pm 

Buses will leave from the Galway Coach Station, Monday-Friday:

• Every 30 minutes between 8:10am and 9:10am, 
• Every 60 minutes between 910am and 4pm 
• Every 30 minutes between 4:30pm and 6:30pm

There is no service at the weekend (Sat-Sun) or on bank holidays.

See the full timetable here

All other service details continue as per the initial announcement..

Tourist "Train" between Galway City and Salthill

Galway Tourist Train started running between Prospect Hill (opposite TK Maxx) and the acquarium in Salthill, in late May 2013.

Initially running hourly between 10am and 8pm.  A round-trip takes approximately 45 minutes,

The service operates on a hop-on, hop-off basis via a number of tourist sights in Galway City.

It is advertised as operating year-round: timetables are likely to vary according to the season.  See their website for fare and timetable information.

Citylink commuter service cancellations and changes in Athlone bus stops

CityLink have announced changes to their alway - Athlone - Dublin City/Airport Commuter service.
from Monday 17 June 2013.

June 2013 Bank holiday bus and train services in Galway

Monday 3 June 2013 

is a 

Public / Bank Holiday 

in Ireland.

City Buses:

Bus Éireann and City Direct will run their their standard Sunday and public holiday city services in Galway on Monday 3rd

Regional Buses:

Most regional and national public transport services will run their standard Sunday-timetable service on both Sun 3rd and Mon 4th.  However:

• Bus Éireann will run regular regional / national services on Sunday 2nd, except that one Galway/Sligo service and one Tuam/Athlone service are cancelled.  Details.

• On Monday 3rd, Bus Éireann will operate to a Sunday timetable, but with a number of changes (both cancellations and additions) that affect Galway services.    See their press-release for full details

• Bus Feda   on Sunday and Mon will operate their normal Sunday service with some changes to the normal Sunday timetables - details.

Irish Rail

Mon 3 June cancellations:

• 17.10 Heuston/Athlone,
• 05.20 Athlone/Heuston, 
• 05.30 Galway/Heuston, 
• 06.30 Galway/Heuston, 
• 18.10 Galway/Athlone, 
• 22.15 Galway/Athlone,
• 08.40 Galway/Athenry 
• 9.05 Athenry/Galway are cancelled.

Full details:http://www.irishrail.ie/media/JuneBankHoliday2013V22051.pdf

Park & Ride for Connacht GAA championships at Pearse Stadium, 19 May 2013

BusLink will run a park-and-ride service for the GAA junior and senior football matches on Sunday 19 May 2013.

Buses will run between Galway Airport in Carnmore and the Western Distributor Road (WDR) roundabout.   Pearse Stadium is in Upper Salthill, a short walk along Bishop O'Donnell and Threadneedle roads from the WDR roundabout.

This service will complement the other car-parking facilities in Salthill.

Times

The Airport Car Park will open at 11am, and buses will leave every 20 minutes until 3:30pm
.
Return buses will leave from the WDR roundabout after the senior match finishes.

Fares:

• €3 adult 
• €2 child 

BusLink Park & Ride from Galway Airport to the city-centre

A new park-and-ride service between Galway Airport and Galway city centre starts on Monday 13 May 2013.

For this pilot service, buses will run between the airport and Galway Coach Station, with no intermediate stops.

The service is being operated by Farrel Travel, under their BusLink brand.

Timetable

Buses will leave from the airport, Monday-Friday:

• Every 20 minutes between 7:20am and 9am, 
• Every 30 minutes between 9am and 4pm 
• Every 20 minutes between 4pm and 6pm 

Buses will leave from the Galway Coach Station, Monday-Friday:

• Every 20 minutes between 7:45am and 9:05am, 
• Every 30 minutes between 9:30am and 4pm 
• Every 20 minutes between 4pm and 6:40pm

There is no service at the weekend (Sat-Sun) or on bank holidays.

Fares

Parking at the airport is free.

Bus travel costs:

• €2 per trip per person 
• €4 return ticket per person 
• €17.50 per weekly ticket per person 
• €5 for a Family Day Return ticket (Minimum is 1 adult and 2 kids under 16 years old)
• €68 Monthly return ticket per person 

The TaxSaver scheme applies - provided your employer has joined it.

You do not need to park at the airport to use the bus-service:  Carnmore residents, and others who are dropped off at the airport, are welcome to use the service.

The airport car-park has capacity for 600 cars.   Cars cannot be left overnight at the airport.

Note:   this is a six month pilot service, supported by Galway Chamber of Commerce.   It will be reviewed in November 2013.

May bank holiday bus and train services - 2013

Update:   
The following information is for May 2013. See this year's holiday arrangements for current information.

Monday 6 May 2013 

is a 

public holiday & bank holiday 

(Saoire Bainc na Bealtaine)

in Ireland.

City Buses

Galway city bus services will run their standard Sunday-timetable service on both Sun 5th and Mon 6th  May 2013.

Regional Buses

Most regional and national bus services will run their standard Sunday-timetable service on both Sun 5th and Mon 6th  May 2013.

• Bus Éireann will run regular regional / national services on Sunday 5th, except that one Galway/Dundalk, a Sligo service, and a Tuam/Athlone service are cancelled.   Full details. 

• On Monday 6 June, Bus Éireann regional / national services will operate to a Sunday timetable, but with a number of changes (both cancellations and additions) that affect Galway services.    See their press-release for full detals.

Trains

Irish Rail will run close to normal Sunday services on both days to/from Galway, with a few changes - see their timetable for details.

Citylink introduce "Eireagle" Galway - Dublin airport direct service

CityLink have announced changes to their Galway - Dublin services from Wed 1 May 2013.

They will be running services directly between Galway and Dublin Airport - not travelling via Dublin City Centre.  

These services are operated under their new Eireagle brand.

Eireagle buses will leave Galway Coach station at:

• 1:15am
• 2:15am
• 8:30am
• 10:30am
• 12:30pm
• 2:30pm

Currently the Eireagle timtable implies that these will be instead of the regular CityLink express Galway - Dublin services in these hours.   But the Citylink website is still allowing bookings for these times - at the reduced on-line prices that Eireagle.com have been advertising.   So it is currently unclear if the Eireagle services are additional or not.

See the Regional Buses Services page for other bus services between Galway and Dublin.

Easter 2013 Bus and train services

The following information is for an earlier year.

See Easter bus service information for up to date  bus and train details for Easter weekend.

Buses and Trains - St Patrick's Day 2013

This announcement is about St Patrick's Day public transport information for a time in the past. See current St Patrick's day bus and train services for more recent announcements.

---

Sunday 17th March 2012 (St Patrick's Day) is a public holiday in Ireland.

Monday 18 March is a bank holiday, not a public holiday - but a large number of workplaces public transport providers and shops will operate as they usually do on Sunday.

Galway City Bus services

Bus Éireann will run according to the Sunday timetable on Sun 17th and Mon 18th.  There will be slight diversions around Eyre Square area while the parade is on.

City Direct will run according to the Sunday timetable on Sun 17th and Mon 18th, but with one extra bus from Cappagh Rd to the city at 10:45am.   Services will end at the Cathedral until the parade is over.


See City Bus Services for route maps and timetable links.

Regional Bus services:

Bus Éireann 

Will run a Sunday timetable  on Sun 17th and Mon 18th ary  with some exceptions (cancellations and/or time changes). For the Galway area, affected services are to/from:

• Belfast
• Dundalk
• Cavan
• Clifden
• Lettermullen
• Carraroe
• Westport / Ballina

See their press release for full details.

BusLink (previously known as Farrell Travel)

Running full NiteLink services on Fri 15th, Sat 16th and Sun 17th.   Enhanced Sunday service (starting at 10am) on Sun 17th, to get people to the parade in Galway city.  Regular Bank Holiday service on Mon 18th.

CityLink

Are running their normal Dublin / Galway timetable, but have some different pick-up and drop-off points due to parades in various towns

Bus Feda (Galway / Sligo / Donegal)

Are running a reduced service on both 17 and 18 March.    Details.

Other companies

Have not made specific announcements:  it is likely that they will run regular Sunday services from Sun 17th - Mon 18th inclusive.   See Regional Bus Services for a full listing of all companies involved.

Overall:

Many towns will have parades around midday: bus services at this time could be delayed due to road closures.

Train services:

Irish Rail services from Sun 17 - Mon 18th March are based on a Sunday timetable, with some alternations.   See their timetable for St Patrick's weekend 2013 for details.