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Rail users in Louth are being urged to carefully check their travel plans ahead of the February bank holiday weekend as major works on the railway line between Dublin and Belfast lead to a review of services and bus movements.
Ianrod Alien confirmed that the revised timetable will run from Saturday 31st January until Monday 2nd February.
The works will affect the Northern Commuter Service, the Northside DART service and Enterprise in Dublin and Belfast, with bus journeys between Dublin and Drogheda running over three days.
Track and overhead line renewal works are taking place at a number of locations between Dublin Connolly and Drogheda, resulting in the suspension of DART services between Connolly and Howth/Malahide, with Dublin Bus and Go Ahead Ireland accepting rail tickets for affected journeys.
Northern commuter rail services will also be suspended and replacement bus services will operate on a limited basis, while Enterprise services in Dublin and Belfast will operate on a revised schedule and include bus journeys between Dublin and Drogheda.
Passengers are urged to check times on irishrail.ie or the Iarnród Éireann app before traveling and to pre-book intercity services where possible, especially during busy periods.
As part of a wider national works plan for 2026, Ianrod Alien also confirmed that Drogheda will feature in future DART+ developments, including works to install new train charging equipment.
The rail operator said the investment was part of a major program aimed at increasing capacity and improving reliability across the network in response to record passenger demand.
While the majority of rail work takes place at night, Iarnród Éireann announced a full year preview of service-impacting projects during 2026, including DART+ infrastructure work, continued overhead line updates on the DART network, system testing of the new National Train Control Center, track updates, bridge replacements, and signal upgrades across the country.
The company said it continues to work to minimize disruption wherever possible, but said some service changes are unavoidable when implementing significant safety and capacity upgrades.
Details of the February public holiday service and the 2026 Works program can be found at irishrail.ie.