Jarrett Walker + Associates (JWA) led the redesign of the bus network in Dublin, Ireland from 2017 to 2019.
The purpose of this effort was to create a “step change” in bus ridership in the Dublin Metropolitan Area, encompassing over 1.4 million people over several counties. After a comprehensive analysis of the existing network, JWA proposed four main strategies to make service more useful to a greater number of people:
- Organize most radial services into super-frequent “spines.”
- Redistribute service to create frequent “orbital” (cross-town) routes.
- Increase frequency in outer areas by creating local feeder routes.
- Define a high-frequency service brand.
JWA facilitated a network design retreat with representatives from the NTA, the main bus operator, and the five local government authorities. This retreat and subsequent workshops brought the strategies to life as a complete proposal for a redesigned network.
The initial network proposal was released for public consultation in summer 2018. Over three months of consultation, NTA received approximately 50,000 individual comments and survey submissions. JWA assisted NTA
in reviewing and organizing comments, reviewing improved peak loading data, and updating the network proposal in response to public input.
The revised proposal was released for public comment in October 2019; the proposed network included over 4.6 million annual revenue hours. The NTA implemented the new network in stages, starting in 2021.