Kildare Commuter Bus Service Revisions
As part of our ongoing service monitoring and review process, the National Transport Authority has carried out a review of the Kildare Commuter bus services. We are now planning a number of small revisions to the network to increase capacity and improve punctuality and reliability and provide a better service for all users. The changes will be introduced from the end of 2026.
The Kildare Commuter Corridor
In November 2019; Go-Ahead Ireland commenced operation of Kildare Commuter corridor bus services on behalf of the National Transport Authority. The levels of service and coverage on the Kildare corridor have grown since its introduction in response to both a growing population and changes to the patterns of travel demand along the corridor.
There are now several routes and route variations serving the corridor; however, these can be broadly classified as two corridors; the 120 and the 126.
120 Corridor
The 120 corridor operates between Edenderry, Prosperous, Clane, Celbridge and Dublin, including:
- 120 Edenderry – Prosperous – Celbridge – Clane – Dublin
- 120A Edenderry – Prosperous – Clane – Celbridge – Dublin – UCD
- 120B Newbridge – Prosperous – Clane – Celbridge – Dublin
- 120C Enfield – Edenderry – Rhode – Daingean – Ballinagar – Tullamore
- 120D Enfield – Edenderry – Daingean – Ballinagar – Tullamore
- 120E Edenderry – Prosperous – Clane – Dublin
- 120F Newbridge – Prosperous – Clane – Dublin
- 120X Edenderry – Prosperous – Clane – Dublin
126 Corridor
The 126 corridor operates between Rathangan, Kildare, Newbridge, Naas, Kill and Dublin, including;
- 125 Newbridge – Naas – Crumlin Hospital – Dublin – UCD
- 126 Rathangan – Kildare – Newbridge – Naas – Kill – Dublin
- 126A Rathangan – Kildare – Japanese Gardens – Newbridge – Naas – Kill – Dublin
- 126B Rathangan – Kildare – Japanese Gardens – Suncroft – Newbridge– Naas – Kill – Dublin
- 126D Kildare – Japanese Gardens – Suncroft – Newbridge – Naas – Kill – Dublin – DCU
- 126E Rathangan – Kildare – Newbridge – Naas – Kill – Dublin
- 126N Dublin – Kill – Naas – Newbridge (3.20am Saturday/Sunday morning)
- 126T Rathangan – Kildare – Japanese Gardens – Newbridge – Naas – Kill – Tallaght – Dublin
- 126U Kildare – Newbridge– Naas – Kill – Dublin – UCD (Sunday Only arriving 9.10pm)
- 126X Rathangan – Newbridge – Dublin
130 Corridor
The 130 corridor operates between Athy, Naas, and Dublin, including;
- 130 Athy – Kilcullen – Naas – Dublin
- 130A Athy – Kilcullen – Naas – Dublin
Figure 1: Map of Existing Network
Since 2020, passenger numbers on the corridor have doubled—from approximately 1.2 to 2.4 million journeys per year. This highlights both the growing demand for transport on the Kildare corridor and the usefulness of the services.
The population of County Kildare grew by 11% between 2016 and 2025. Large towns such as Naas–Sallins, Kildare, Maynooth, Enfield, and Clane have also experienced significant growth in the last 10 years. This rapid growth has contributed to increased traffic volumes and congestion, especially around major towns and along key routes into Dublin City.
Given the success of the network to date, the continued growth along the corridor and rising congestion now is the right time to review the network. The primary objectives are to simplify the network and increase capacity by focusing resources on core alignments to:
- Improve the legibility of services and timetables
- Meet punctuality and reliability targets in the face of rising demand and congestion
- Provide additional capacity to meet current and future demand
As part of this process, in a small number of cases, infrequent direct services have been replaced with more regular services where interchange may be required for certain journeys. This allows us to offer higher-frequency, higher-capacity services throughout the day.
Below is a summary of the proposed changes for the corridor:
Proposed changes to the 120 Corridor
- Introduce a new route 128 operating between Prosperous, Sallins, Sandyford, and UCD at peak times on weekdays. This service will connect the existing 120 corridor to both the Luas Red and Green lines, as well as Dublin orbital routes W2, W4, W6, and S8. The new alignment is designed to maximise access to key employment hubs across south Dublin. This service will replace the current 120A route to UCD. Existing 120A departures will be integrated into route 120 and will terminate in Dublin city centre.
- Routes 120C and 120D will be renamed as route 121 and enhanced with some departures extended to Maynooth. This extension will improve connectivity with commuter rail services and provide direct access to Maynooth University.
- Additional departures will be introduced on route 120X to improve journey times and enhance connectivity between Edenderry and Dublin. These enhancements will better accommodate commuter demand and reduce travel times during peak periods.
Proposed changes to the 126 Corridor
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There will be a single core alignment for route 126 between Dublin, Naas, Newbridge, Kildare, and Rathangan, with all services operating via the Curragh, Brownstown, Maddenstown, the Japanese Gardens, and Grey Abbey View. Existing route variants — 126A, 126B, 126D, and 126E — will be consolidated into the 126 alignment. As part of the route standardisation, services will no longer serve DCU directly. Passengers wishing to travel to DCU will need to transfer onto the high frequency City bus network .
- Introduce a 24-hour service, 7 days a week on route 126 between Dublin, Naas, and Newbridge.
- Introduce a new route 127 operating between Newbridge, Naas, Tallaght, Sandyford, and UCD. This service will connect the existing 126 corridor to both the Luas Red and Green lines, as well as Dublin orbital routes W2, W4, W6, and S8. Similar to route 128, this new alignment will maximise access to key employment hubs across south Dublin. Route 127 will replace existing services 125 and 126T.
- Introduce a new TFI Local Link route 893 between Kildare and Newbridge, designed to serve Suncroft, where the local road network is unsuitable for the future intercity bus fleet. This new service will offer improved frequency and a more useful timetable, with approximately five departures per day in each direction, 7 days a week. Early morning and evening services will be included for commuting connections to Dublin.
Proposed changes to the 130 Corridor
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Route 130 will be enhanced by extending the shorter services between Athy and Naas to Sallins Station, providing direct connections to rail services. Existing departures to Dublin on route 130/130A will be retained and renumbered as route 130X. All services will operate via Sallins Road in Naas, introducing a new Dublin-bound connection for the substantial residential population along this corridor.
Figure 2: Map of Proposed Revised Network
Overall, the proposed network provides for a 10% increase in service levels throughout the day when compared to the current network. Additional departures will be added where required to meet demand. TFI Fare zones will continue to apply on the new network and more information on fares can be found here: New Fare Zones - Transport for Ireland.
The new network will be introduced at the end of 2026. Notice of network changes and detailed passenger information will be made available in advance of any changes.
Observations on the new network can be made here on or before 10th January 2026.
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