Busconnects Bringing Changes to Thomas Street

The National Transport Authority’s Busconnects programme is a multi-million euro investment strategy to redesign Dublin’s bus network.

The programme has a number of elements including a radical overhaul of bus routes across the city, the development of 12 Core Bus Corridors providing high capacity radial routes across Dublin, and improvements to ticketing, bus stops and transitioning to a zero emissions bus fleet.

The Liffey Valley to City Centre Core Bus Corridor is the first high capacity route to commence construction. The 19km route runs from Liffey Valley town centre, though Cherry Orchard, Ballyfermot, Inchicore, Old Kilmainham to James Street and on to Cormarket and High Street. Development of the route will see improvements to the public realm and landscaping, new cycling infrastructure, changes to bus stop locations, bus priority measures and the redesign of junctions and crossings.

Work is expected to commence on the Liffey Valley to City Centre route at the end of this year and continue until 2027.  Development of the route will take place in phases of 500m sections, with a number of sections along the route active at any one time.  Construction work will start at Liffey Valley and work its way into the city.

The NTA has now announced advance survey and design work for the route between Bow Lane West and Cornmarket, which includes James Street and Thomas Street. Work will includes surveying and utility work as well as the relocation of some infrastructure such as lighting columns and planters etc. Actual construction along this section will commence later in 2026.

Much of the public realm along James Street and Thomas Street will remain as is, following a significant upgrade of the street in 2015.  However there are some big changes ahead. Most significantly, will be a redesign of the junction at Cornmarket to create a simplified three-arm junction. The redesign here will see new landscaped public space created, new pedestrian crossing facilities, dedicated cycle lanes, and changes to the entry and exit to and from some streets.

Changes are also proposed at James Street, at the junction Bow Lane West and Steevens Lane. Here, there will be changes to the public space, new crossing and cycle lanes.

The works will also see the removal of on-street parking along the route, changes to loading areas and the creation of a new ‘quiet street’ safe cycle route via Echlin Street and Basin Lane.

A new website has been developed to provide updates on the project www.liffeyvalleyscheme.ie and the NTA has committed to regular community with residents and businesses along the route as the works progress.

For queries related to the construction of the Liffey Valley Scheme contact: 1800 303 700

To contact the project office by email: liffeyvalleyscheme@busconnects.ie

The main BusConnects project website is available at the following link: www.busconnects.ie