Swords to Blackrock Commute

G

gomadnadz

Guest
Just wondering if anyone makes this commute? Currently renting and working on Southside but considering the move. Anyone know how long it takes to get to Blackrock (for half eight) in the mornings? East link or west link?
 
about 40 mins, good train service, sp if you can get to Malahide for the DART.
 
Unless you are going to travel by car outside of peak times I would only take the DART from Malahide. In which case it's approx. 40mins from Malahide. This is providing you manage to get yourself parking in Malahide or Portmarnock. The good side is that you mainly get a seat at either end because you're travelling beyond the main business belt (Connolly Station to Lansdowne Rd).
Personally I wouldn't consider the bus service despite the QBC as it can become snarled during rush hour towards the M1/Port Tunnel. However there is a 41X option which is an express bus directly from Swords to Belfield, which may suit your travel times. It normally goes around the 7am mark - 3 or 4 services & then again in the evening around the 5pm mark. The longest time of the commute will be spent between O'Connell Street & Leeson Street though!
 
Parking in Portmarnock fills up at around 8. I'd imagine Malahide is worse as the car park is smaller.

The 230 bus service links Swords to Malahide and Portmarnock, but I'm not sure of its reliability. There are plans to merge the 102 and 230 services.

But if you want to get to Blackrock for 8.30, you would probably have to get the 7.17 DART from Portmarnock. There is an Arrow at 7.33 that terminates in Pearse. The next DART is 7.49.
 
The 230 bus service is sporadic at best Ccovich I'm afraid. I certainly wouldn't be counting on it. Basically there are 2 buses to cope with the entire route so any delays at any point gives way to long waits at busstops & missed connections.

Completely agree with you in relation to the DART & parking at Malahide. Although when I head for that DART there does seem to be a few spaces left in the yard. The parking across the road at bridgefield (castle carpark) opens sometime after 8am though so there is more parking available. It does close early in the evening.
 
gomadnadz said:
Just wondering if anyone makes this commute? Currently renting and working on Southside but considering the move. Anyone know how long it takes to get to Blackrock (for half eight) in the mornings? East link or west link?
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Unless you work shift i'd consider buying somewhere else or moving jobs before i'd undertake that commute by car !.
As others have said,the train is about the only real option.
 
I would disagree with the fact that train is the only commute - what about a motorbike ? i travel from swords to merrion sq every day by motorbike - on a really bad day (wet/windy and loads of traffic) it will take 35 minutes - normally it's less than 1/2 hour. so blackrock would probably be another 10/15 minutes from city centre and you don't have to worry about getting feeder buses/parking/delayed trains etc - just hop on and go - direct door to door. Also it doesn't cost near as much as petrol for car/monthly commuter ticket/parking etc.
 
I didn't say that the train was the only option (I know that others have said so), and motorbike appears a viable option, I'd like to point out the following:

  • morning DARTs are very rarely delayed
  • if your employer participates in the taxsaver scheme, you can avail of very attractive tax and PRSI relief on the cost of an annual ticket
 
I commute from Swords to Blackrock every morning now. Even though Malahide is a different town Swords is still very close to the dart station there. Where i lived in Bray was further from Bray Dart station than Swords Village is from Malahide Dart station - unbelievable.
In fact its faster than my commute from Bray to Sandyford used to be.
Heres what i do.
10 minute cycle to Malahide Dart station.
Trains leave about every 15 mins from Malahide.
Train or combination of trains takes about 40 mins to Blackrock from Malahide. I get the 7.30 arrow that leaves me at Connoly and then change to the dart. Darts go about every 10 minutes or less at peak times from Connoly to Blackrock, so you wont be waiting around.

All in all less than an hour of commuting and the cycle along the estuary is a nice one. Even when i get the next Dart i'm still in work before 8:30 am.
If you want to drive, i would drive to Portmarnock - about a 10 - 15 minute drive from Swords. The car park doesnt seem to fill up at all before 10am. Malahide carpark is full at 6:40am. There are some spaces but the way other gob****es park you cant get your car into the few spaces left.


I wouldnt get the bus though
Hope this helps you.
 
minion said:
The car park doesnt seem to fill up at all before 10am.
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Wouldn't agree with this at all-when I get the 8.36 DART there are cars 'parked' on the grass verge outside the station car park and I see no evidence of spaces inside.
 
minion said:
If you want to drive, i would drive to Portmarnock - about a 10 - 15 minute drive from Swords. The car park doesnt seem to fill up at all before 10am.
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I dunno when was the last time you were there but I pass Portmarnock dart station every morning and today I was nearly taken out by a car heading towards the station on Station Rd. as there's so many cars parked on the ditch that runs up to the car park. That's before 9am!
 
I find that the car park in Portmarnock is usually quiet full at 8..I wouldn't fancy my chances of trying to find a spot after that time.Have been driving from Swords to Eastpoint lately (via Kinsealey & malahide Road) and I find it takes about 40 minutes (Leave home at 7:15). I would 'guess' that it would take another 20 minutes or so to get from Eastpoint to Blackrock if you go over the toll bridge..?? I stand to be corrected..
 
Different car park

There are actually 2 car parks to park in in Portmarnock that are very close to the Dart. I've been instructed not to tell anyone by my colleague sitting here, so i wont, but they are not hard to find. Its been a few months since i have driven rather than cycled though, so my info on parking might be outdated if they other car parks are common knowledge now.

I wouldnt drive from Swords to Blackrock though. Rail is the best option.
 
minion said:
Different car park

There are actually 2 car parks to park in in Portmarnock that are very close to the Dart. I've been instructed not to tell anyone by my colleague sitting here, so i wont, but they are not hard to find.
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If you are talking about parking in one of the private developments adjacent to the DART station, your car will be clamped. If it's another public car park your colleague is referring to, then fine. But your colleague (or anyone else) is in danger of being clamped if they park on private property.
 

We know that, as i'm sure do 99% of the population.
Give people some credit and dont assume people are stupid
 
I’m not assuming anything about your level of intelligence, and unless you name the car park in question, how am I meant to know where you are talking about without guessing?


If it’s not a private development, then I guess they could be referring to the Driving Range or the Church car park, and I’m nor sure that either of these are ‘public’.


And there have been plenty of stupid people who have parked in private estates adjacent to the DART only to find themselves clamped on their return.
 
Leaving my apartment in Seabrook Manor on Sat I had a good laugh to myself looking at a clamped car in the car park in front of the electric gates...
 
Thanks to all the replys, one last question; is it realistic to be doing the commute (thankfully only 8 months of the year for teachers!!) and most of all, worth it?
 
I would be inclined to buy a moped/scooter if I were you.

The DART is just too unreliable, particularly on the Malahide line from my own experience. The gaps in train arrivals are far greater than the Howth line (even though Malahide/Portmarnock are the areas filling up with new people and far more new houses and apartments).

All it takes is for one person to throw themselves in front of a DART (it happens at least once a week from what I'm aware) and you'll be over 2 hours late.
 

Portmarnock/Malahide has been gaining trains at the expense of Howth for the last few years now. 6 trains between Portmarnock and Connolly between 7am and 9am. The same number between Howth and Connolly.

The last part about attempted suicides is quite an exaggeration. It does happen, but not with any great frequency.
 
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