Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Bus Éireann Restarts Eurolines Coach & Irish Ferries Services of Dublin-Birmingham/London

8th July 2022
Coach & Sail Is Back!... as for the first time since the pandemic, Bus Éireann announced the reopening of Expressway Eurolines  Dublin-London service yesterday, having departed Dublin's Busáras (above) to board Irish Ferries sailing to Holyhead with onward travel to the UK capital. The same Eurolines service (871) also goes through Dublin Port's ferryport with connections to Birmingham. Coach & Sail Is Back!... as for the first time since the pandemic, Bus Éireann announced the reopening of Expressway Eurolines Dublin-London service yesterday, having departed Dublin's Busáras (above) to board Irish Ferries sailing to Holyhead with onward travel to the UK capital. The same Eurolines service (871) also goes through Dublin Port's ferryport with connections to Birmingham. Credit: Ryan Sargent/Expressway-facebook

Irish public transport operator, Bus Éireann announced the return of the Expressway Eurolines coach and Irish Ferries service linking Dublin with Birmingham and London when the first service reopened yesterday.

According to Expressway-facebook, fares for the combined coach and ferry service start from €39 one way and €70 return.

The service across the Irish Sea, which is run twice a week, operates on new Bus Éireann Expressway top-end coaches, which represent a €1 million investment in Eurolines. The coaches depart Busáras to Dublin Ferryport and continue by boarding Irish Ferries cruiseferry the Ulysses which Afloat adds makes a 3 hour 15 minute crossing to Holyhead, Wales.

During pre-pandemic times, more than 15,000 passengers used the service between Ireland and Britain each year.

Customers check in on Thursdays and Saturdays from 19.15 at Busáras in Dublin, depart at 20.00, and arrive into Victoria Coach Station in London the following morning at 08.00.

The baggage allowances include a free first suitcase and the coaches are fitted with onboard wi-fi and toilet facilities.

Customers can book tickets through the Expressway website – expressway.ie.

Departing Dublin: Thursdays & Saturdays 20.00; Departing London: Fridays & Sundays 18.00; Departing Birmingham: Fridays & Sundays 21.00.

Andrew Yates, Head of Expressway, Bus Éireann, said: “Bus Éireann is pleased to relaunch our Expressway Eurolines service connecting Dublin with Birmingham and London. We are especially pleased to reinstate the service for those passengers who we know rely exclusively on Expressway Eurolines for travel between Ireland and the UK. For people who are unable to, or do not want to fly, whether for environmental, financial, medical or other reasons, these services provide an essential alternative, travelling on our top-end new coaches with extra comfortable seating.

“With fares from just €39 one way or €70 return, passengers can travel direct to the heart of London and Birmingham, without the hassle of getting to the airport or long security queues – while making sustainable travel choices and working together to reduce our carbon footprint and energy consumption.”

Published in Irish Ferries
Jehan Ashmore

About The Author

Jehan Ashmore

Email The Author

Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals. 

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

Direct Donation to Afloat button

About Irish Ferries

Irish Ferries, owned by the Irish Continental Group, is a a major ferry operator in Ireland, providing daily and weekly links to and from Ireland for tourism and freight travelling between Ireland and the UK and Ireland and the continent. Irish Ferries has a fleet of six ships, three of which service the busy Dublin to Holyhead route.

The ICG Chairman is John B McGuckian and the CEO is Eamon Rothwell.