The Phoenix Park: Getting there for the Papal Mass

The National Transport Authority (NTA), An Gardaí Síochána and public transport operators have outlined a comprehensive transportation plan and road closure system to be put in place for the Visit of Pope Francis. 
Each operator Iarnrod Éireann, Dublin Bus, Luas, Bus Éireann and Go-Ahead, together with private coach companies, will commence services from early morning especially for those travelling from outside of Dublin.  
The NTA is working closely with Translink in Northern Ireland and they are providing special rail and bus transport to the event.
The message is “Leave your car at home. Public transport or private coaches are the way to get to and from this event.” 

To help get people there: 

Dublin Bus 
•    Dublin Bus has the capacity to provide up to 400,000 journeys on 26 August. 
•    Full Fleet of 1,000 buses will be in service on Sunday 26 August. 
•    In addition to the normal service, 360 buses will be used to service 7 dedicated transport hubs throughout the city bringing people as close as possible to the Phoenix Park. 
•    Over 1,500 drivers and 100 additional support staff will be scheduled for the day. These will include engineering employees, Chief Inspectors and customer service staff. 
Luas 
•    Luas will provide capacity for circa 73,700 passenger journeys on Sunday 26 August across Luas Red and Green Lines. The capacity for the Red Line is circa 35,700 and the Green Line is circa 38,000. 
•    All available trams and staff will be working on the day. 
•    Luas will be operating to frequencies of 6-10 minutes on the Red Line and 8-10 minutes on the Green Line. 

Iarnród Éireann 
•    Iarnród Éireann will provide capacity for 250,000 journeys on Sunday 26 August across Intercity, DART and Commuter services. 
•    Over 250 train services will operate timed to meet demand from those travelling to and from the Phoenix Park event, from over 130 stations around the network. 
•    The Ashtown shuttle from Connolly Station will bring people in close proximity to the Phoenix Park, the M3 Parkway/Maynooth lines will also run to Navan Road Parkway Station, which is also a short walk to the park. 

Bus Éireann 
•    Over 30,000 passenger journeys can be made on the day on Bus Éireann. 
•    350 drivers involved on the day. 
•    Overall capacity on Bus Éireann services is expected to increase by almost 100%. 
•    Capacity on Expressway (Intercity) services to and from Dublin City will increase by over 38% with over 4,500 seats available in each direction pre and post the event. 
•    Almost 800 trips being operated by Commuter & Intercity services. 
Go-Ahead 
•    Will be providing over 6,000 passenger journeys. 
•    The vehicles will carry the new Transport for Ireland bus livery. 
Translink 
•    Translink will be operating their normal services and special services to increase capacity in Bus and Rail for the Papal Event. 
•    Coach hire is also available for groups. Please visit www.translink.co.uk/popeinireland/ for further details. 
Coaches
1,500 coaches are expected to transport pilgrims for this event. Many are hired by parishes as well as some private operators running services from across the island. There are 4 official coach parks where these coaches will be parked for the event.

Cycling
Cycle parks are set to be available near the Park which will take up to nearly 3,000 bicycles. 

Rail service information for Papal visit

•    Intercity: Most routes sold out for Sunday – no access to Intercity trains without advance booking/reservation
•    DART/Commuter: Walk-up service, extra trains on all routes, free travel in Dublin Short Hop Zone with Papal Mass ticket
•    Knock: Athlone to Claremorris sold out, still availability for Westport/Ballina to Claremorris
•    Plan your travel – allow time to access Dublin city centre stations
•    Saturday night: extra Maynooth line services for Croke Park event, late night trains from Heuston to Cork, Limerick, Galway
 
Iarnród Éireann has issued a final reminder to customers intending to travel this weekend to be aware of service arrangements arising from the World Meeting of Families events.  There will be capacity for up to 250,000 journeys by rail for those travelling to and from the Phoenix Park Papal Mass on Sunday alone.
 
In particular, customers are reminded:
 
SUNDAY 26TH AUGUST – PHOENIX PARK AND KNOCK EVENTS
Intercity
•    All Intercity trains on Sunday 26th August travelling to Dublin before the Papal Mass and from Dublin afterwards must be prebooked. Tickets will not be available from stations on the day.  This includes existing ticket holders, including free travel pass holders, who must reserve a seat in advance.
•    Most Intercity routes are sold out. Trains are sold out for Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Mayo, Waterford to Dublin; a small number remain from Rosslare, Sligo and Galway to Dublin and must be booked ASAP. Tickets and reservations are available at irishrail.ie and 018366222.
•    Please travel on the train you have booked. You cannot switch to an alternative service.  Seating is unallocated on Intercity services on this date.
DART/Commuter
•    DART, Maynooth, M3 Parkway, Drogheda and Kildare/Portlaoise Commuter routes will have extra frequency (see notes to editor), and is a walk-up service with pre-booking not required. Customers are advised to travel early due to high demand.
•    Those travelling within the Dublin Short Hop Zone (DART, Balbriggan, M3, Kilcock, Sallins and Kilcoole) can travel for free with a Papal Mass ticket.
•    Heuston, Ashtown and Navan Road Parkway Stations are the closest stations to Phoenix Park. DART/Northern Commuter customers should change at Connolly to reach Ashtown/Navan Road Parkway.
•    Heuston, Connolly (also Saturday 25th August) and Maynooth station car parks are closed on Sunday 26th August due to event operational requirements. Alternative parking in Maynooth is available at NUI Maynooth.  All other station car parks are open.
•    Bikes are not permitted on DART and Commuter services on Sunday 26th August due to volumes travelling.
•    Customers travelling for any reason seeking to access Dublin City Centre stations are advised to allow extra time to reach the station, taking account of road closures and bus and Luas restrictions (in particular, please note Luas is not operating between Smithfield and Blackhorse, including Heuston Station).
Knock
•    Knock event: extra service from Athlone to Claremorris is sold out, still availability from Westport and Ballina to Claremorris, advance booking mandatory. Train tickets are valid on a free shuttle bus between Claremorris and Knock.
 
SATURDAY 25TH AUGUST – DUBLIN CITY AND CROKE PARK EVENTS
•    A normal Saturday service will operate on most routes, with additional capacity. Customers attending the Papal procession through Dublin city centre are advised to travel as early as possible.
•    Extra Maynooth line services will operate before and after the Croke Park event.
•    Late night Intercity services will operate from Heuston Station to Cork, Limerick and Galway, and must be prebooked.
•    Connolly Station car park is closed due to event operational requirements.
 
Full details on rail services for the World Meeting of Families events are available at www.irishrail.ie
Full details on the Papal visit are available at http://gov.ie/en/visit-of-pope-francis/