There are three types of commuter rail services in Dublin available:
DART trains
Commuter trains
Luas trams - a light rail service
You can view all the lines on our Dublin rail map.
DART trains run very frequently along Dublin Bay, serving Central Dublin and suburbs along the coast (up to every 10 minutes, Monday-Friday).
Commuter services serve suburbs in the north, west and south of the city. They are usually frequent at rush hour, but less so during off-peak times.
Luas trams serve many areas of Central Dublin plus some residential areas, most of which are not too far from the centre. Services are very frequent (every 4-6 minutes during peak times).
Below you will find information about DART and Commuter services — for more information on Luas trams, please see our Dublin trams page. All routes can be viewed on our Dublin train map.
New: for information about Intercity services from Dublin, you can check out our Dublin train stations section.
DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit)
Areas served / route map
DART stands for ‘Dublin Area Rapid Transit’ and is a high-frequency service along Dublin’s coastline.
The DART line serves stations from Malahide or Howth in North Dublin southwards as far as Greystones in County Wicklow. Services are provided by Ireland’s publicly-owned railway operator, Irish Rail (also known as Iarnrod Eireann —a Gaelic translation).
To see the full route, please check out our Dublin trains map.
Hours of operation
Monday-Saturday: Trains run from around 6am in the morning until 12am at night (with the last trains leaving Central Dublin around 11.30pm).
Sundays: Trains run from around 9am until 12am at night (with the last trains leaving Central Dublin around 11.30pm).
Frequency
Monday-Friday: From 6.50am to 8pm, you can expect a DART train every 10 minutes on the Malahide to Bray section of the line. Outside of these hours on weekdays you can generally expect trains every 15-20 minutes.
Saturday: Services on Saturday are reasonably frequent, with trains usually every 15 minutes on Malahide-Bray section of the line.
Sunday: You can expect a train around every 30 minutes. It’s advisable to consult a timetable before travelling on a DART on a Sunday however.
Dart services to Howth or Greystones: Services to these stations run less frequently (roughly every 20-30 minutes). It is advisable to check timetables before travelling to or from these stations.
Timetables and real-time travel information
To access DART timetables, please see our timetables section.
Real-time travel information is provided on screens at all DART stations. Alternatively, you can view it online in advance of travel or use a mobile app to access it - please see our travel alerts section for details.
Wheelchair accessibility / step-free access
Nearly all DART stations provide step or gate free access to the platforms, the exceptions being Greystones, Killiney and Sutton.
Wheelchair ramps and accessibility assistance can be provided at most stations, but because staffing levels vary across the network, Irish Rail suggests that wheelchair users or those with a mobility impairment contact them to arrange help in advance before travelling. You can do this by emailing the company at access@irishrail.ie or calling (01) 836 6222 (Monday - Friday 08:30-18:00hrs excluding public holidays).
You can view full accessibility information for each DART station by visiting Irish Rail’s Station Information page, entering a station name in the ‘Find Station Information’ box and then checking the ‘Parking and Transport’ information to see full car parking details.
It is also advisable to read Irish Rail’s accessibility guidelines.
Parking
Bike parking: many DART stations provide bicycle racks. Some stations also provide more secure bike parking via rentable bike lockers. To view which stations provide bike parking, please check our Dublin train map. To find out more about the exact type of bike parking available at individual stations, go to Irish Rail’s Station Information page, enter a station name in the ‘Find Station Information’ box and then check the ‘Parking and Transport’ information.
Car parking: several DART stations provide car parks — you can view which ones on our Dublin train map. Please note however that the number of spaces available varies considerably from station to station, so it’s worth finding out how large your station car park is before driving to it. To do this, go to Irish Rail’s Station Information page, enter a station name in the ‘Find Station Information’ box and then check the ‘Parking and Transport’ information to see full car parking details.
Commuter trains
Areas served and route map
Commuter services serve suburbs and satellite towns in the Greater Dublin area. They are split up into four lines — Northern Commuter, Southeastern Commuter, Southwestern Commuter and Western Commuter (but that said, you will occasionally encounter services which commence on one line and terminate on another). To see an overview of the routes, please check out our Dublin train map.
Commuter Services are provided by Ireland’s publicly-owned railway operator, Irish Rail.
Hours of operation
Monday-Saturday: The first Commuter trains run at around 6am (5.40am for some lines). Times for last trains depend very much on the line and destination in question, so always check a timetable before travel.
Sunday: Depending on the station in question, you will be able to get a Commuter train from 8am on. Again, how late trains run depends very much on the line and station in question — again, always check a timetable before travel.
Frequency
Commuter trains are not as frequent as DART and Dublin tram services, and it is advisable to check a timetable before travelling on one. Although services are generally pretty frequent between 6am and 9am on most lines (with trains around every 20-30 minutes), there are exceptions — especially where the Southeastern Commuter service is concerned — along with occasionally quite large gaps between trains outside rush hour.
Timetables
To access Commuter service timetables, please see our timetables section.
Real-time travel information is provided on screens at most Commuter service stations. Alternatively, you can view it online in advance of travel or use a mobile app to access it - please see our travel alerts section for details.
Wheelchair accessibility / step-free access
Most Commuter stations provide step and gate free access to the platforms — you can view exceptions on our Dublin train map (the ‘steps’ icon indicates which stations are not wheelchair-accessible).
Wheelchair ramps and accessibility assistance can be provided at most stations, but because staffing levels vary across the network, Irish Rail suggests that wheelchair users or those with a mobility impairment contact them to arrange help in advance before travelling. You can do this by emailing the company at access@irishrail.ie or calling (01) 836 6222 (Monday - Friday 08:30-18:00hrs excluding public holidays).
You can view full accessibility information for each DART station by visiting Irish Rail’s Station Information page, entering a station name in the ‘Find Station Information’ box and then checking the ‘Parking and Transport’ information to see full car parking details.
It is also advisable to read Irish Rail’s accessibility guidelines.
Parking
Bike parking: most Commuter stations provide bicycle racks. Some stations also provide more secure bike parking via rentable bike lockers. To view which stations provide bike parking, please check our Dublin train map. To find out more about the exact type of bike parking available at individual stations, go to Irish Rail’s Station Information page, enter a station name in the ‘Find Station Information’ box and then check the ‘Parking and Transport’ information.
Car parking: many Commuter train stations provide car parks — you can view which ones on our Dublin train map. Please note however that the number of spaces available varies considerably from station to station, so it’s worth finding out how large your station car park is before driving to it. To do this, go to Irish Rail’s Station Information page, enter a station name in the ‘Find Station Information’ box and then check the ‘Parking and Transport’ information to see full car parking details.
Tickets and fares for DART and Commuter services
Tickets for DART and Commuter trains can be purchased from stations. Note however that not all stations will necessarily be staffed, so you may need to buy from a ticket machine.
Alternatively you can make use of a smartcard ticket called a ‘Leap Card’, which provides you with up to 31% discount on travel and can be topped up as necessary with credit. You can buy a Leap Card online from the Leap Card website or from a variety of outlets in Dublin.
Tickets are cheaper if you are travelling within Irish Rail’s ‘Short Hop Zone.’ This covers stations which are not too far from the centre of Dublin — you can find out more about the Short Hop Zone on the Irish Rail website.
If you are visiting Dublin you might wish to consider using a Visitor Leap Card, which allows you to travel for 1, 3 or 7 days for set prices. More information about this option is available on the Leap Card website.
For more information about ticketing in Dublin, please check out our tickets section.
See also
You can find out about Dublin tram services (Luas) here.
You can view and download a Dublin train map here.
Our Dublin train stations section contains an overview of the main railway stations in the capital and the Intercity services served at each.
For more information about rail in Dublin and Ireland, please see the Irish Rail website.
