Additional services and new routing as NTA introduce NX improvements

The NTA are set to introduce changes to their NX service in the coming weeks, as a new timetable will be introduced on October 11.

The adjustments are being made with the intention of improving the express bus between Navan and Dublin, which is used by over 20,000 passengers per week.

Commuters on the NX, such as students and those travelling to work, have experienced significant frustrations over recent years thanks to delays, cancellations, and maximum capacity buses.

Following a public consultation, the NTA have now confirmed their proposed improvements. Their statement reads as follows:

"Following the public consultation, NTA will introduce a revised timetable from Sunday, 11 October, which will provide increased capacity and more frequent services, particularly during peak periods.

Key changes include:

- Two new early morning departures from Navan;

- An increase in peak-time service frequency from approximately every 20 minutes to approximately 15 minutes, representing a 24% increase in peak service levels;

- A new Dublin city centre terminus at Moss Street, close to Tara Street Station, providing connections with DART, commuter rail and city bus services, and;

- The removal of the current routing via Westland Row, Merrion Square and Wilton Terrace, helping to reduce delays associated with city centre congestion and improve reliability

- The NX currently carries more than 20,000 passenger journeys each week and has experienced significant growth since its introduction in 2017.

- A total of 81 submissions were received as part of the consultation, with strong support for increased capacity, more frequent services and improved reliability.

- Full timetable details will be published ahead of implementation, with customer information channels also updated to support passengers through the change.

The full announcement and consultation findings are available here: Navan - Dublin (NX) Bus Service Revisions Consultation report - National Transport."

Cllr.Emer Tóibín commented on the changes in a post on Facebook, saying, "I’ve been raising these NX issues for some time with the NTA as every day I receive messages about overcrowding, passengers being left behind, break downs, cancellations and the need for earlier and more frequent services.

"So it’s good to finally see some movement. Let's hope that this is a step in the right direction for Navan commuters.

"But we won’t be taking our eye off the ball," she added.

"We will be keeping a very close eye on how these changes work in practice, particularly whether the additional services actually address the capacity problems and whether passengers are finally getting the properly functioning, reliable public transport service they deserve.

"The proof will be in the service users’ experience over the weeks ahead."