€20m new BusConnects plaza opened at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre

The National Transport Authority (NTA) today unveiled a new €20m bus plaza facility at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre as part of the BusConnects programme.

The new plaza provides a new hub for bus services connecting south and west Dublin, north Kildare and the city centre.

The opening of the facility will support a 75 percent increase in bus services, the NTA says.

The revised network will see the number of buses increase from 12 buses per hour per direction to 21.

Bus services to the city centre are also expected to increase by 50 percent.

Six bus routes will terminate at the new hub which include the “G-Spine” route G2, orbital routes S4, W2, radials 80, and local routes L51 and 53.

Located near the N4 footbridge, the bus plaza will also “enable easy access” to all “C-Spine” routes as well as to orbital route W5 and local route 52.

A spokesperson said in a statement: “The bus plaza facilitates accessibility through proximity and free plaza with the TFI 90 Minute Fare and links to existing bus services in Blanchardstown.

“Figures show that approximately 2,258 bus journeys are completed in the area every day with this number set to increase under the revised network.

“The new BusConnects plaza features a canopy with six bus bays along with a fully accessible set down area.

“It is situated in the newly revamped Yellow Car Park area at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, all of which has been extensively redeveloped recently and now includes increased spaces for drivers with a disability, increased parent and child spaces, new electric vehicle charging points, street furniture, passenger waiting areas, real-time data on car parking space availability, real-time passenger journey signage and new public lighting.”

Buses will use the plaza for set down and pick up, with park-up facilities located to the rear of the centre.

Speaking at the launch of the new bus plaza, Minister of State Jack Chambers TD said: “I am delighted to unveil this state-of-the-art bus plaza facility at Liffey Valley, a landmark project for the NTA’s BusConnects programme.

“It is envisaged that this bus plaza will increase connectivity between west Dublin and Kildare and to the city centre with the 75 percent hourly increase in buses.

“By investing €20m in this new bus plaza and by rolling out new services across the city, we can encourage more people to use public transport and reduce their reliance on the car to get to work, school or for shopping.”

Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA said: “The launch of this new bus plaza facility at Liffey Valley marks an important milestone in the rollout of BusConnects in Dublin. BusConnects main focus is to provide a better, more reliable and more efficient bus service for everyone.