Dundalk - Transport

Transport

Shipping services to Liverpool were provided from 1837 by the Dundalk Steam Packet Company.

Dundalk is an important stop along the Dublin–Belfast railway line, being the last station on the Irish side of the border. Its rail link to Dublin was inaugurated in 1849 and the line to Belfast was opened the following year. Further railway links opened to Derry by 1859 and Greenore in 1873.

In the 20th century, Dundalk's secondary railway links were closed: first the line to Greenore in 1951 and then that to Derry in 1957. In 1966 Dundalk railway station was renamed Dundalk Clarke Station after the Irish republican activist Tom Clarke, though it is still usually just called Dundalk Station. The station is served by the Dublin-Belfast "Enterprise" express trains as well as local Commuter services to and from Dublin. It also houses a small museum of railway history.

Dundalk's Bus Station is operated by Bus Éireann and located at Long Walk near the town centre. It is linked to Drogheda, Dublin Airport and Dublin by route 100X. Route 100 links it to both Newry and Drogheda whereas route 161 runs between Dundalk and Newry via the Cooley Peninsula and locations such as Greenore and Carlingford. Route 162 links it to Castleblayney and Monaghan. Route 166 operates to Carrickmacross with one journey extending to Cavan. Route 167 operates to Ardee and route 168 to Annagassan via Dromiskin. Expressway Route 070 offers a link to Mullingar, Athlone and Galway but only operates on Sundays during college terms.

Ongoing infrastructure evolutions continue in and around Dundalk to meet a programme deadline of 2020. These improvements embrace the road, rail and telecommunication infrastructures for—according to the National Development Plan—a better integration with the neighbouring Dublin, Midlands Gateway, and Cavan/Monaghan Hubs.

The M1 - N1/A1 now connects Dundalk to Dublin and Newry. Works to extend it to Belfast are ongoing and are scheduled to end in winter 2010.