Dublin Airport, Ireland's main gateway to the rest of the world, handles tens of millions of passengers annually. Several coach services, like Aircoach and Dublin Express, provide fast links to the city center, while Bus Éireann and Citylink connect to destinations like Galway, Cork, and Belfast. However, heavy traffic and overcrowding often hampers these services, highlighting the need for rail and metro links. As the only major capital city airport in Europe without a rail connection, Dublin Airport will massively benefit from Metro Dublin, offering a much-needed solution to ease congestion and improve access.

Dublin Airport Coach

These coach services are vital to Ireland's transport infrastructure. They offer affordable and direct travel options for both tourists and locals, easing the burden on taxis and personal car usage. For passengers with early flights, the 24-hour services by some coach operators ensure they can reach the airport no matter the time. Furthermore, these services are crucial for counties outside Dublin, offering easy airport access for people living in more rural areas.

However, despite these advantages, Dublin's growing population and the increasing number of airport users highlight a major gap: the lack of a dedicated metro system. As the city and airport expand, congestion on roads is becoming a significant issue, particularly at peak times when coach services can experience delays. A metro would offer a fast, reliable, and eco-friendly alternative, bypassing road traffic and ensuring that passengers can get to the airport in a fraction of the time.

While the existing coach network is essential, the long-discussed MetroLink project as well as the transformational Metro Dublin project would greatly enhance Dublin’s transport capacity, making airport access faster and reducing traffic pressure on already crowded routes, and would make the removal of the current 32 million people per year cap more justifiable.

The new Dublin Express Route 783 connects Dublin Airport to Terenure and Rathgar via the city center, offering an affordable, direct service. However, it faces delays due to traffic and the time-consuming boarding process at multiple stops, leading to a total journey time of around 1 hour and 40 minutes; so long that Google Maps doesn’t even suggest it as a travel option. In contrast, Metro Dublin would provide a faster, traffic-free alternative with shorter travel times, greater reliability, and a cheaper fare of €1.95 as opposed to €11, making it a far more efficient option for airport passengers.

Metro Dublin 2032 Map