Editing Transport in Ireland

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
Most of the [[Public transport in Ireland|transport system in Ireland]] is in public hands, either side of the [[Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border|Irish border]]. The [[Roads in Ireland|Irish road network]] has evolved separately in the two jurisdictions into which Ireland is divided, while the [[Rail transport in Ireland|Irish rail network]] was mostly created prior to the [[partition of Ireland]].

In the [[Republic of Ireland]], the [[Minister for Transport (Ireland)|Minister for Transport]], acting through the [[Department of Transport (Ireland)|Department of Transport]], is responsible for the state's road network, [[Rail transport|rail network]], public transport, airports and several other areas. Although some sections of road have been built using private or [[Public-private partnership|public-private funds]], and are operated as [[toll road]]s, they are owned by the [[Government of Ireland]]. The rail network is also [[Government-owned corporation|state-owned]] and operated, while the government currently still owns the main airports. Public transport is mainly in the hands of a [[statutory corporation]], [[Córas Iompair Éireann]] (CIÉ), and its subsidiaries, [[Dublin Bus]], [[Bus Éireann]] (Irish Bus), and [[Iarnród Éireann]] (Irish Rail).

On 1 November 2005, the Irish government published the [[Transport 21]] plan which includes €18bn for improved roads and €16bn for improved rail, including the [[Western Railway Corridor]] and the [[Dublin Metro]].

The Republic of Ireland's transport sector is responsible for 21% of the state's greenhouse gas emissions.<ref>{{cite web|title=What are Irelands greenhouse gas emissions ?|url=http://www.epa.ie/climate/communicatingclimatescience/whatisclimatechange/whatareirelandsgreenhousegasemissionslike/|website=EPA|access-date=20 December 2016|archive-date=17 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161217192101/http://www.epa.ie/climate/communicatingclimatescience/whatisclimatechange/whatareirelandsgreenhousegasemissionslike/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[Northern Ireland]], the road network and railways are in state ownership. The [[Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland)|Department for Infrastructure]] is responsible for these and other areas (such as water services). Two of the three main airports in Northern Ireland are privately operated and owned. The exception is [[City of Derry Airport]], which is owned and funded by [[Derry City Council]]. A statutory corporation, the [[Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company]] (which trades as [[Translink (Northern Ireland)|Translink]]) operates public transport services through its three subsidiaries – [[NI Railways]] Company Limited, [[Ulsterbus]] Limited, and [[Metro (Belfast)|Citybus Limited]] (now branded as Metro).

==Railways==
[[File:Ireland rail network sb.svg|Ireland's rail network|thumb|right]]
{{main|Rail transport in Ireland|History of rail transport in Ireland}}

;'''Total'''
:{{RailGauge|1600mm}} [[Irish gauge|broad gauge]]
:{{convert|1947|km|abbr=on}} (1998); {{convert|38|km|abbr=on}} electrified; {{convert|485|km|abbr=on}} double track; some additions and removals since 1997

:{{RailGauge|1435mm}}  [[standard gauge]]
:{{convert|36.5|km|abbr=on}} (2004) ([[Luas]] tramway); {{convert|36.5|km|abbr=on}} electrified; {{convert|36.5|km|abbr=on}} double track; additional track under construction

:{{RailGauge|914mm}} [[Narrow-gauge railway|narrow gauge]]
:{{convert|1365|km|abbr=on}} (2006) (industrial railway operated by [[Bord na Móna]])

Ireland's [[rail transportation|railways]] are in State ownership, with [[Iarnród Éireann]] (Irish Rail) operating services in the Republic and [[NI Railways]] operating services in Northern Ireland. The two companies co-operate in providing the joint [[Enterprise (train)|Enterprise]] service between [[Dublin]] and [[Belfast]]. [[InterCity (Iarnród Éireann)|InterCity]] services are provided between Dublin and the major towns and cities of the Republic, and in Ulster along the [[Belfast–Derry railway line]]. Suburban railway networks operate in Dublin, [[Dublin Suburban Rail]], and Belfast, [[Belfast Suburban Rail]], with limited local services being offered in, or planned for, [[Cork (city)|Cork]], [[Limerick]],{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} and [[Galway]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}}

The rail network in Ireland was developed by various private companies during the 19th century, with some receiving government funding. The network reached its greatest extent by 1920. A [[broad gauge]] of 1600mm (5&nbsp;ft 3in)<ref name="ciatrans">{{cite web|title =CIA World Factbook—Ireland—Transportation|publisher =CIA|date =6 November 2008|url =https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ireland/|access-date =11 November 2008|archive-date =9 January 2021|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210109164445/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ireland/|url-status =live}}</ref> was agreed as [[Irish gauge|the standard]] for the island, although there were also hundreds of kilometres of 914mm (3&nbsp;ft) [[narrow-gauge railways]].<ref name="ciatrans"/>

Many lines in the west were decommissioned in the 1930s under [[Éamon de Valera]], with a further large cull in services by both CIÉ and the [[Ulster Transport Authority]] (UTA) during the 1960s, leaving few working lines in the northern third of the island. There is a campaign to bring some closed lines back into service, in particular the Limerick-[[Sligo]] line (the [[Western Railway Corridor]]), to facilitate economic regeneration in the west, which has lagged behind the rest of the country. There is also a move to restore service on the Dublin to [[Navan]] line, and smaller campaigns to re-establish the rail links between [[Sligo]] and [[Enniskillen]]/[[Omagh]]/Derry and Mullingar and [[Athlone]]/Galway. Under the Irish government's [[Transport 21]] plan, the Cork to [[Midleton]] rail link was reopened in 2009. The re-opening of the [[Navan]]-[[Clonsilla]] rail link and the [[Western Rail Corridor]] are amongst future projects as part of the same plan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Heavy Rail |work=Project |publisher=Transport 21 |date=18 June 2008 |url=http://www.transport21.ie/Projects/Heavy_Rail/Heavy_Rail.html |access-date=11 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207115734/http://www.transport21.ie/Projects/Heavy_Rail/Heavy_Rail.html |archive-date=7 December 2008 }}</ref>

Public transport services in Northern Ireland are sparse in comparison with those of the rest of Ireland or Great Britain. A large railway network was severely curtailed in the 1950s and 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rpsi-online.org/schools/irishrailwaysystem.htm |title=The Irish Railway System |publisher=The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland |access-date=29 March 2010 |archive-date=21 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821004624/http://www.rpsi-online.org/schools/irishrailwaysystem.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Current services includes suburban routes to [[Larne]], Newry and [[Bangor, Northern Ireland|Bangor]], as well as services to Derry. There is also a branch from [[Coleraine]] to [[Portrush]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.translink.co.uk/NI-Railways/NI-Railways-Timetables/ |title=Northern Ireland Railways Timetables |publisher=Translink |access-date=29 March 2010 |archive-date=12 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812034619/http://www.translink.co.uk/NI-Railways/NI-Railways-Timetables/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since 1984 an electrified train service run by Iarnród Éireann has linked Dublin with its coastal suburbs. Running initially between [[Bray, County Wicklow|Bray]] and [[Howth]], the [[Dublin Area Rapid Transit]] (DART) system was extended from [[Bray, County Wicklow|Bray]] to [[Greystones]] in 2000 and further extended from [[Howth Junction]] to [[Malahide railway station|Malahide]]. In 2004 a [[light rail]] system, Luas, was opened in Dublin serving the central and western suburbs, run by [[Veolia]] under franchise from the [[Railway Procurement Agency]]. The construction of the Luas system caused much disruption in Dublin. Plans to construct a [[Dublin Metro]] service including underground lines were mooted in 2001, but stalled in the financial crisis at the end of that decade.

Ireland has one of the largest dedicated [[freight]] railways in Europe, operated by [[Bord na Móna]] and totalling nearly {{convert|1400|km|mi}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bnm.ie/corporate/index.jsp?&1nID=93&2nID=97&3nID=97&pID=357&nID=359 |title=Description of Railway |publisher=Bord na Móna |access-date=29 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071119085020/http://www.bnm.ie/corporate/index.jsp?&1nID=93&2nID=97&3nID=97&pID=357&nID=359 |archive-date=19 November 2007 }}</ref>

==Road transport==
{{main|Roads in Ireland}}
[[Image:Major roads on the island of Ireland map.svg|thumb|right|280px|The motorway and primary road network of Ireland, as of 2025]]

===Roads and cars in Ireland===
;'''Total''' – {{convert|117318|km|abbr=on}}
:'''South:''' {{convert|92500|km|abbr=on}} including {{convert|1015|km|abbr=on}} of motorway (2010)
:'''North:''' {{convert|24818|km|abbr=on}} including {{convert|148|km|abbr=on}} of motorway (2008)
::''paved'' – {{convert|87043|km|abbr=on}}, ''unpaved'' – {{convert|5457|km|abbr=on}}

Ireland's roads link Dublin with all the major cities (Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Derry, Galway, and [[Waterford]]). Driving is on the left. Signposts in the Republic of Ireland are shown in kilometres and speed limits in kilometres per hour. Distance and speed limit signs in Northern Ireland use imperial units in common with the rest of the United Kingdom.

Historically, land owners developed most roads and later [[turnpike trust]]s collected tolls so that as early as 1800 Ireland had a {{convert|16100|km|mi}} road network.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Transport in Ireland, Part 1 |work=About Us |publisher=[[Córas Iompair Éireann]] |url=http://www.cie.ie/about_us/schools_and_enthusiasts.asp#1 |access-date=11 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040410110553/http://www.cie.ie/about_us/schools_and_enthusiasts.asp |archive-date=10 April 2004 }}</ref> In 2005 the Irish Government launched [[Transport 21]], a plan envisaging the investment of €34 billion in transport infrastructure from 2006 until 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title =Roads|work =Projects|publisher =Transport 21|date =18 June 2008|url =http://www.transport21.ie/Projects/Roads/Roads.html|access-date =11 November 2008|url-status =dead|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20081208022517/http://www.transport21.ie/Projects/Roads/Roads.html|archive-date =8 December 2008}}</ref> Several road projects were progressed but the economic crisis that began in 2008–09 has prevented its full implementation.

Between 2011 and 2015, [[Diesel engine|diesel cars]] constituted 70% of new cars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acea.be/statistics/tag/category/share-of-diesel-in-new-passenger-cars|title=Share of Diesel in New Passenger Cars – Click Ireland|publisher=[[European Automobile Manufacturers Association]]|date=25 April 2016|access-date=24 January 2017|archive-date=2 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202075232/http://www.acea.be/statistics/tag/category/share-of-diesel-in-new-passenger-cars|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, 27 new cars per 1,000 inhabitants were registered in Ireland, the same as the EU average.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.acea.be/statistics/article/per-capita-new-car-registrations |title=Per Capita Registrations |publisher=[[European Automobile Manufacturers Association]] |date=1 June 2016 |access-date=24 January 2017 |archive-date=2 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202075217/http://www.acea.be/statistics/article/per-capita-new-car-registrations |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Bus services===
Ireland's first [[mail coach]] services were contracted with the government by [[John Anderson (Scottish businessman)|John Anderson]] with William Bourne in 1791 who also paid to improve the condition of the roads.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Parliamentary papers, Reports from Committees, Volume 20 |publisher=House of Commons |location=London |pages=3, 38–43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K0wSAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA6-PA42 |year=1837 |access-date=31 March 2021 |archive-date=24 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924175723/https://books.google.com/books?id=K0wSAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA6-PA42 |url-status=live }}</ref> The system of mail coaches, carriages and "bians" was further developed by [[Charles Bianconi]], based in Clonmel, from 1815 as a fore-runner of the modern Irish [[public transportation]] system.<ref>{{cite news |last=Murphy |first=John |title=Bianconi home to become Clonmel hotel |newspaper=Irish Examiner |date=4 January 2005 |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2005/0104/ireland/landmark-house-to-become-clonmel-hotel-573513087.html |access-date=11 November 2008 |archive-date=18 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118203624/http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2005/0104/ireland/landmark-house-to-become-clonmel-hotel-573513087.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:90 NEW BUSES FOR DUBLIN CITY -AUGUST 2015- REF-106947 (19870956363).jpg|thumb|Part of a fleet of 90 new double decker buses introduced to Dublin in 2015]]
State-owned [[Bus Éireann]] (Irish Bus) currently provides most bus services in the Republic of Ireland, outside Dublin, including an express coach network connecting most cities in Ireland, along with local bus services in the provincial cities. [[Dublin Bus]], a sister company of [[Bus Éireann]], provides most of the bus services in Dublin, with [[Public transport operators in Dublin#Bus|some other operators]] providing a number of routes. These include [[Aircoach]], a subsidiary of [[FirstGroup]] which provides services to [[Dublin Airport]] from Dublin city centre, South Dublin City, Greystones and Bray. They also operate two intercity express non-stop services service between Dublin Airport, Dublin City Centre, and [[Cork (city)|Cork]] and also a non-stop route between Belfast City Centre, Dublin Airport and Dublin City. Other operators such as Irish Citylink and GoBus.ie compete on the Dublin-Galway route. [[Matthews Coaches]] run a direct service from [[Bettystown]], [[Laytown]] and [[Julianstown]] to Dublin whilst Dublin Coach operate services to Portlaoise and Limerick. [[JJ Kavanagh and Sons]] also operates regular services on the Portlaoise/Limerick route as well as offering services to [[Waterford]], [[Carlow]], [[Kilkenny]], [[Clonmel]] and a selection of regional towns and villages in the south.

[[TFI Local Link]] is a set of not-for-profit operators, funded via the [[National Transport Authority (Ireland)|National Transport Authority]], that provide bus services in rural Ireland. Other private rural operators exist, such as Halpenny's in [[Blackrock, County Louth|Blackrock]], County Louth, which was the first private bus operator to run a public service in Ireland, [[Bus Feda]] (Feda O'Donnell Coaches), which operates twice daily routes from [[Ranafast]], [[County Donegal]] to Galway and back.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://busfeda.ie/about-us/ | title = About Us | quote = Feda O Donnell Coaches or Busfeda as it is now known | website = Bus Feda |access-date=26 April 2024 }}</ref>

In Northern Ireland [[Ulsterbus]] provides the bus network, with its sister company [[Metro (Belfast)|Metro]] providing services in Belfast. Both are part of state-owned [[Translink (Northern Ireland)|Translink]]. Tiger Coaches operates a very late night bus service on Friday and Saturday nights between Belfast and Lisburn.<ref>[http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/tiger-coaches-launches-latenight-intercity-shuttle-service-15004369.html ''Belfast Telegraph'' 15 November 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120184524/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/tiger-coaches-launches-latenight-intercity-shuttle-service-15004369.html |date=20 November 2010 }} report on launch of Tiger Coaches service</ref>

Private hire companies offer groups travelling throughout Ireland with options ranging from cars to 56 passenger coaches. Private Coach Hire Companies can be found at [http://cttc.ie CTTC.ie].

Cross-border services (e.g. Dublin city centre to Belfast) are run primarily by a partnership of Ulsterbus and Bus Éireann with some services run across the border exclusively by one of the two companies (e.g. Derry–Sligo run by Bus Éireann). [[Aircoach]], a private operator, does however operate a competing Dublin to Belfast Express service via Dublin Airport.

According to an ''Irish Times'' article in September 2022, 14.3% of national journeys in the Republic of Ireland were undertaken by bus, compared to the European average of 8.8%. However, this may be partly due to the lack of widespread train coverage in the country, as Ireland's figure of 3.1% usage of trains for journeys is well behind the European average of 7.9%.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Briscoe|first=Neil|date=2022-09-22|title=How do we rate when it comes to public transport use?|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/special-reports/2022/09/22/how-do-we-rate-when-it-comes-to-public-transport-use/|access-date=2022-09-27|website=[[The Irish Times]]|language=en}}</ref>

==Modal share==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Mode of travel<ref>{{cite web|title=National Travel Survey 2014|url= http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-nts/nationaltravelsurvey2014/keyfindings/ |publisher=Central Statistics Office|access-date=22 December 2016|archive-date=22 December 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161222222633/http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-nts/nationaltravelsurvey2014/keyfindings/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How We Travelled National Travel Survey 2019 - Central Statistics Office |url=https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-nts/nationaltravelsurvey2019/howwetravelled/ |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=www.cso.ie |language=en}}</ref>
! 2012 !! 2013 !! 2014
!2016
!2019
|-
| Private car – driver
| 70.4% || 69.0% || 69.1%
|69.4%
|64.9%
|-
| Private car – passenger
| {{0}}6.1% || {{0}}5.8% || {{0}}5.3%
|4.9%
|8.8%
|-
| Walk
| 13.6% || 15.4% || 14.8%
|14.6%
|13.5%
|-
| Bus
| {{0}}3.9% || {{0}}3.8% || {{0}}4.4%
|4.2%
|4.8%
|-
| Cycle
| {{0}}1.2% || {{0}}1.3% || {{0}}1.6%
|1.7%
|1.5%
|-
| Rail / [[Dublin Area Rapid Transit|DART]] / [[Luas]]
| {{0}}1.3% || {{0}}1.5% || {{0}}1.4%
|1.3%
|1.8%
|-
| Taxi / hackney
| {{0}}0.8% || {{0}}0.9% || {{0}}0.9%
|0.8%
|0.9%
|-
| Lorry / motorcycle / other
| {{0}}2.7% || {{0}}2.5% || {{0}}2.5%
|3.2%
|3.7%
|}

==Waterways==
{{Main|List of canals in Ireland|Rivers of Ireland}}
;'''Total''' (2004) – {{convert|753|km|abbr=on}}
: ([[pleasure craft]] only on [[Navigability|inland waterways]], several lengthy [[Estuary|estuarine]] waterways)
* [[Grand Canal (Ireland)|Grand Canal]]
* [[Royal Canal]]
* [[Shannon–Erne Waterway]]
* [[River Barrow]]
* [[River Shannon]]
* [[Lower Bann]]
* [[Newry Canal|Newry Ship Canal]]

==Pipelines==
Natural gas transmission network {{convert|1795|km|abbr=on}} (2003). There is a much more extensive distribution network.

==Ports and harbours==
{{Main|List of ports in Ireland}}{{More citations needed section|date=December 2024}}
Ireland has major ports in [[Dublin Port|Dublin]], [[Port of Belfast|Belfast]], [[Cork Harbour|Cork]], [[Rosslare Europort|Rosslare]], [[Foyle Port|Derry]] and [[Port of Waterford|Waterford]]. Smaller ports exist in Arklow, Ballina, Drogheda, Dundalk, Dún Laoghaire, Foynes, Galway, Larne, Limerick, New Ross, Sligo, Warrenpoint and Wicklow.

Ports in the Republic of Ireland handled 2.8 million travellers crossing [[Irish Sea|the sea between Ireland and Great Britain]] in 2014, a decrease of 1 million passengers movements since 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statista.com/statistics/315757/sea-travel-between-the-uk-and-ireland/ |title=Number of sea travel passenger movements between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2014 (in 1,000 passenger movements) |publisher=The Statistics Portal |year=2014 |access-date=18 February 2015 |archive-date=20 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150420022631/http://www.statista.com/statistics/315757/sea-travel-between-the-uk-and-ireland/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This has been steadily dropping for a number of years (20% since 1999), probably as a result of [[Low-cost carrier|low cost airlines]].

=== Ferries ===
Ferry connections between [[Great Britain|Britain]] and Ireland via the Irish Sea include the routes from [[Fishguard]] and [[Pembroke, Pembrokeshire|Pembroke]] to Rosslare, and [[Cairnryan]] to Larne. The [[Stranraer]] to Belfast and Larne routes and the [[Swansea]] to Cork route have closed. There is also a connection between [[Liverpool]] and Belfast via the [[Isle of Man]]. The world's largest car ferry, ''[[MV Ulysses|Ulysses]]'', is operated by [[Irish Continental|Irish Ferries]] on the Dublin–Holyhead route.

In addition, there are ferries from Rosslare and Dublin to Cherbourg and Roscoff in France.

The vast majority of heavy goods trade is done by sea. Northern Irish ports handle 10 megatonnes (Mt) of goods trade with Britain annually, while ports in the Republic handle 7.6 Mt, representing 50% and 40% respectively of total trade by weight.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Ferry services from Ireland
!Name
!From
!To
!Operator
!Website
!Seasonal?
!Type
|-
|Scenic Lough Foyle Ferry
|[[Greencastle, County Donegal|Greencastle]], County Donegal
|[[Magilligan Point]], County Londonderry
|Frazer Foyle Holdings
|[https://loughfoyleferry.com/ loughfoyleferry.com]
|Summer only
|Passenger (foot, vehicle)
|-
|Kintyre Express
|[[Ballycastle, County Antrim|Ballycastle]]
|[[Port Ellen]], Scotland
|[[West Coast Motors|Craig of Campbeltown]]
|[https://kintyreexpress.com/ kintyreexpress.com]
|Summer only
|Passenger (foot only)
|-
|Rathlin Island Ferry
|[[Ballycastle, County Antrim|Ballycastle]]
|[[Rathlin Island]]
|Dunaverty
|[https://www.rathlin-ferry.com/ www.rathlin-ferry.com]
|All year
|Passenger (foot, vehicle)
|-
|Kintyre Express
|[[Ballycastle, County Antrim|Ballycastle]]
|[[Campbeltown]], Scotland
|[[West Coast Motors|Craig of Campbeltown]]
|[https://kintyreexpress.com/ kintyreexpress.com]
|Summer only
|Passenger (foot only)
|-
|P&O Larne - Cairnryan
|[[Larne]]
|[[Cairnryan Harbour|Cairnryan]], Scotland
|[[P&O]]
|[https://www.poferries.com/en/routes/cairnryan-to-larne www.poferries.com]
|All year
|Passenger (foot, vehicle); freight
|-
|Stena Belfast - Cairnryan
|[[Belfast Harbour|Belfast]]
|[[Cairnryan Harbour|Cairnryan]], Scotland
|[[Stena Line]]
|[https://www.stenaline.co.uk/routes/cairnryan-belfast www.stenaline.co.uk]
|All year
|Passenger (foot, vehicle); freight
|-
|Isle of Man Steam Packet
|[[Belfast Harbour|Belfast]]
|[[Douglas, Isle of Man]]
|[[Isle of Man Steam Packet Company]]
|[https://www.steam-packet.com/ www.steam-packet.com]
|All year
|Passenger (foot, vehicle)
|-
|Stena Belfast - Heysham
|[[Belfast Harbour|Belfast]]
|[[Heysham Port|Heysham]], England
|[[Stena Line]]
|[https://www.stenaline.com/about-us/route-network/belfast-heysham/ www.stenaline.com]
|All year
|Freight
|-
|Stena Belfast - Liverpool
|[[Belfast Harbour|Belfast]]
|[[Liverpool]], England
|[[Stena Line]]
|[https://www.stenaline.co.uk/routes/liverpool-belfast www.stenaline.co.uk]
|All year
|Passenger (foot, vehicle); freight
|-
|[[Portaferry–Strangford ferry|Strangford Ferry]]
|[[Strangford]]
|[[Portaferry]]
|[[Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland)|Dept for Infrastructure NI]]
|[https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/strangford-ferry-timetable www.nidirect.gov.uk]
|All year
|Passenger (vehicle, foot)
|-
|Omeath Ferry
|[[Warrenpoint]], 
|[[Omeath]], County Louth
|
|
|Summer only
|Passenger (foot)
|-
|Carlingford Lough Ferry
|[[Greencastle, County Down|Greencastle]], County Down
|[[Greenore]], County Louth
|Rooskey Frazer & Co
|[https://carlingfordferry.com/ carlingfordferry.com]
|All year
|Passenger (vehicle, foot)
|-
|Seatruck
|[[Warrenpoint]]
|[[Heysham Port|Heysham]]
|[[Seatruck Ferries|Seatruck]]
|[https://www.seatruckferries.com/routes/warrenpoint www.seatruckferries.com/r]
|All year
|Freight
|}

===Mercantile Marine{{#tag:ref|In Ireland it is the "Mercantile Marine"; in the United Kingdom it is the "Merchant Navy"; in the USA it is the "Merchant Marine".|group=note}}===
;'''Total''' – 35 ships (with a volume of {{GT|1,000|disp=long}} or over) totalling {{GT|288,401}}/{{DWT|383,628|metric|disp=long}}
:''Ships by type'' – [[bulk carrier]] 7, [[cargo ship]] 22, [[chemical tanker]] 1, [[container ship]] 3, [[roll-on/roll-off]] ship 1, short-sea passenger 1
:''Foreign-owned'' – Germany 3, Italy 7, [[Norway]] 2
:''Registered in other countries'' – 18 (2003 est.)

==Aviation==
{{main|List of airports in the Republic of Ireland}}
[[File:Irish Airports.png|thumb|Irish airports]]

Ireland has four main international airports: [[Dublin Airport]], [[Cork Airport]], [[Shannon Airport]] and [[Ireland West Airport]] (Knock). Dublin Airport is the [[World's busiest airports by international passenger traffic|busiest of these]] carrying almost 35 million passengers per year;<ref>{{cite web|title =Passenger Numbers at Irish Airports – 2002 to 2015|url =https://www.carhire.ie/airportpassengernumbers.php|access-date =19 February 2016|archive-date =21 March 2017|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20170321010528/https://www.carhire.ie/airportpassengernumbers.php|url-status =live}}</ref> a second terminal (T2) was opened in November 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title =Dublin airport's T2 unveiled|work =Irish Times|date =19 November 2010|url =http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/1119/breaking17.html|access-date =9 May 2011|archive-date =31 August 2011|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110831012018/https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/1119/breaking17.html|url-status =live}}</ref> All provide services to Great Britain and continental Europe, while Cork, Dublin and Shannon also offer transatlantic services.
The London to Dublin air route is the ninth busiest international air route in the world, and also the busiest international air route in Europe, with 14,500 flights between the two in 2017.<ref name="second-busiest"/><ref>{{cite news |archive-date=10 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110130714/https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/dublin-london-named-europes-busiest-11827578 |url-status=live |date=10 January 2018 |title=Dublin to London named Europe's busiest air route in new OAG report |url=https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/dublin-london-named-europes-busiest-11827578 |access-date=30 January 2018 |first=Anita |last=McSorley |work=[[Irish Mirror]]}}</ref> In 2015, 4.5 million people took the route, at that time, the world's second-busiest.<ref name="second-busiest">{{cite news|last1=O'Halloran|first1=Barry|title=Dublin-London second-busiest route in world|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/dublin-london-second-busiest-route-in-world-1.2508617|access-date=18 January 2018|work=Irish Times|date=25 January 2016|archive-date=4 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604175949/http://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/dublin-london-second-busiest-route-in-world-1.2508617|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Aer Lingus]] is the flag carrier of Ireland, although [[Ryanair]] is the country's largest airline. Ryanair is Europe's largest low-cost carrier,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/04/16/business-eu-iceland-volcano-ryanair_7521491.html?boxes=Homepagebusinessnews |title=Ash makes Ryanair cancel flights until Monday |archive-date=19 April 2010 |via=[[Wayback Machine]] |work=[[Forbes]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419141444/http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/04/16/business-eu-iceland-volcano-ryanair_7521491.html?boxes=Homepagebusinessnews |date=16 April 2010 |url-status=dead |access-date=30 January 2018}}</ref> the second largest in terms of passenger numbers, and the world's largest in terms of international passenger numbers.<ref name=watspax2007>{{cite web|publisher=[[International Air Transport Association]] |year=2008 |title=WATS Scheduled Passengers Carried 53rd Edition |url=http://www.iata.org/ps/publications/wats-passenger-carried.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323213100/http://www.iata.org/ps/publications/wats-passenger-carried.htm |archive-date=23 March 2010 }}</ref> For several decades until 2007 Shannon was a mandatory [[Shannon Airport#The "Shannon stopover"|stopover]] for transatlantic routes to the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title =Shannon stopover to go by 2008|work =Business News|publisher =RTÉ|date =11 November 2005|url =http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/1111/shannon-business.html|access-date =9 November 2008|archive-date =22 February 2011|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110222220447/http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/1111/shannon-business.html|url-status =live}}</ref> In recent years it has opened a pre-screening service allowing passengers to pass through US immigration services before departing from Ireland.

There are also several smaller regional airports: [[George Best Belfast City Airport]], [[City of Derry Airport]], [[Galway Airport]], [[Kerry Airport]] (Farranfore), [[Sligo Airport]] (Strandhill), [[Waterford Airport]] and [[Donegal Airport]] (Carrickfinn). Scheduled services from these regional points are in the main limited to flights travelling to other parts of Ireland and to Great Britain. Airlines based in Ireland include [[Aer Lingus]] (the former [[national airline]] of the Republic of Ireland), [[Ryanair]], [[Aer Arann]] and [[CityJet]]. Services to the [[Aran Islands]] are operated from [[Aerfort na Minna]] (Connemara Regional Airport).

Ireland's national airline, [[Aer Lingus]], provides services from Belfast City, Cork, Dublin and Shannon to Europe, [[North Africa]] and North America. Dublin and Cork airports are run by a State body, [[DAA (Irish company)|DAA]] (Dublin Airport Authority). Other Irish airlines are [[Ryanair]], one of the largest in the world, [[CityJet]], [[ASL Airlines Ireland]] and the Aer Lingus subsidiary [[Aer Lingus Regional]]. A number of other operators specialise in general aviation.

=== Airport passenger numbers ===
For 2018 the passenger numbers were as follows:<ref name="cso18">{{cite web |title=Aviation Statistics |url=https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/as/aviationstatisticsquarter4andyear2018/ |publisher=Central Statistics Office |access-date=20 November 2019 |date=18 April 2019 |archive-date=14 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114073315/https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/as/aviationstatisticsquarter4andyear2018/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="caa2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Airports/Datasets/UK-Airport-data/Airport-data-2018/|title=CAA Airport Data 2018|date=13 March 2019|website=caa.co.uk|publisher=UK Civil Aviation Authority|access-date=13 March 2019|archive-date=29 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329195127/https://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Airports/Datasets/UK-Airport-data/Airport-data-2018/|url-status=live}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style=text-align:center
|-
! Rank !! Airport !! Runways !! Max. length !! Passengers !! Change<br /><small>2015–2016</small>
|-
| 1 || style=text-align:left |[[Dublin Airport|Dublin]]
| 3 || {{convert|2637|m|abbr=on}}
| style=text-align:right |31,319,419 || {{increase}} 6.3%
|-
| 2 || style=text-align:left |[[Belfast International Airport|Belfast International]]
| 2 || {{convert|2780|m|abbr=on}}
| style=text-align:right |6,268,960 || {{increase}} 7.4%
|-
| 3 || style=text-align:left |[[George Best Belfast City Airport|Belfast City]]
| 1 || {{convert|1829|m|abbr=on}}
| style=text-align:right |2,511,261 || {{decrease}} 1.9%
|-
| 4 || style=text-align:left |[[Cork Airport|Cork]]
| 2 || {{convert|2133|m|abbr=on}}
| style=text-align:right |2,387,806 || {{increase}} 3.8%
|-
| 5 || style=text-align:left |[[Shannon Airport|Shannon]]
| 1 || {{convert|3199|m|abbr=on}}
| style=text-align:right |1,677,611 || {{increase}} 4.9%
|-
| 6 || style=text-align:left |[[Ireland West Airport]]
| 1 || {{convert|2340|m|abbr=on}}
| style=text-align:right |775,063 || {{increase}} 3.5%
|-
| 7 || style=text-align:left |[[Kerry Airport|Kerry]]
| 1 || {{convert|2000|m|abbr=on}}
| style=text-align:right |365,339 || {{increase}} 8.9%
|-
| 8 || style=text-align:left |[[City of Derry Airport|City of Derry]]
| 1 || {{convert|1969|m|abbr=on}}
| style=text-align:right |185,843 || {{decrease}} 4.2%
|-
| 9 || style=text-align:left |[[Donegal Airport|Donegal]]
| 1 || {{convert|1496|m|abbr=on}}
| style=text-align:right |46,537 || {{increase}} 0.0%
|-
|10 || style=text-align:left |[[Connemara Airport|Connemara]]
| 1 || {{convert|600|m|abbr=on}}
| style=text-align:right |15,322 || {{decrease}} 6.8%
|-
|11 || style=text-align:left |[[Inishmore Aerodrome|Inishmore]]
| 1 || {{convert|490|m|abbr=on}}
| style=text-align:right |8,814 || {{decrease}} 5.6%
|}

==Gateway Irish urban reference destination distances==
; Midlands Gateway urban destination distances
* The distances given below are in ''kilometres'' as travelling through the [[Midlands Gateway]] ATM (Athlone-Tullamore-Mullingar).
* Where it is logical to travel along the east or west coast directly, these distances are provided according to the popular route.
* Urban by-passes, rockades, diversions, detours and all other dispositives prolonging the travelled distances between destinations are equated to ZERO.
: ''This is an estimation distance guide only.''
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
|- style=font-size:150%
!colspan=33 | City / town
|-
! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10 !! 11 !! 12 !! 13 !! 14 !! 15 !! 16 !! 17 !! 18 !! 19 !! 20 !! 21 !! 22 !! 23 !! 24 !! 25 !! 26 !! 27 !! 28 !! 29 !! 30 !! 31 !! 32 !! 33
|-
|colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Athboy]]
|-
|80||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Athlone]]
|-
|188||241||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Ballymena]]
|- bgcolor=#EEE
|144||221||46||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Belfast]]
|-
|100||128||298||285||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Castlebar]]
|-
|60||80||152||136||168||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Cavan]]
|-
|232||255||44||91||269||180||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Coleraine]]
|- bgcolor=#EEE
|368||217||467||424||274||300||491||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Cork (city)|Cork]]
|-
|220||234||89||114||221||163||50||478||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Derry]]
|-
|40||142||163||120||230||88||187||309||188||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Drogheda]]
|-
!80||124||211||168||235||108||235||259||236||53||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| M-50 [[Dublin]]
|-
|72||160||127||84||248||80||152||341||165 ||37||85||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Dundalk]]
|-
|248||219||418||375||301||274||443||78||430 ||260||211||211||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Dungarvan]]
|- bgcolor=#EEE
|60||40||222||176||130||40||200||297||193 ||90||80||120||251||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Edgeworthstown|Edgeworthst.]]
|-
|184||108||453||407||173||213||387||140||408 ||296||243||324||160||148||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Ennis]]
|-
|120||126||434||168||160||46||157||363||107 ||137||154||100||337||86||234||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Enniskillen]]
|-
|128||96||354||341||92||160||326||201||276 ||268||219||249||227||136||80||190||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Galway]]
|- bgcolor=#EEE
|152||124||333||290||250||178||358||148||345 ||175||126||207||96||155||150||265||174||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Kilkenny]]
|-
|160||230||515||472||290||319||539||87||476 ||357||308||389||165||296||155||382||215||195||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Killarney]]
|-
|160||123||409||366||183||217||417||99||368 ||251||202||283||119||175||41||280||109||131||114||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Limerick]]
|-
|40||55||245||197||112||56||228||284||191 ||118||105||147||244||15||156||101||156||162||310||202||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Longford]]
|- bgcolor=#EEE
|32||48||215||169||154||59||232||242||221 ||75||65||85||216||35||155||121||144||120||261||159||42||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Mullingar]]
|-
|60||116||244||201||227||130||269||223||256 ||86||37||118||175||107||206||193||205||89||272||165||114||72||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Naas]]
|-
|100||80||368||325||174||169||332||134||307 ||210||161||242||151||146||84||232||100||93||149||43||153||111||124||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Nenagh]]
|-
|60||179||97||110||199||72||102||423||57||133 ||181||110||375||143||338||50||255||290||404||297||128||130||201||254||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Omagh]]
|- bgcolor=#EEE
|200||202||375||332||328||300||400||195||387 ||217||160||249||117||235||239||363||306||121||280||198||242||200||141||202||332 ||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Rosslare Europort|Rosslare]]
|-
|180||134||374||392||168||279||402||119||352 ||277||227||309||146||214||20||342||94||158||134||28||221||179||190||69||329||224 ||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Shannon, County Clare|Shannon]]
|-
|160||117||215||202||84||121||187||323||137 ||201||207||200||334||96||255||75||175||228||338||231||81||123||199||195||114||358 ||216||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Sligo]]
|-
|260||215||509||466||249||312||483||118||434 ||351||302||383||195||289||148||375||175||228||33||107||296||254||265||143||398 ||295||128||297||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Tralee]]
|- bgcolor=#EEE
|60||43||256||213||169||93||281||207||256||149 ||101||130||181||80||165||156||138||85||226||124||77||35||89||76||204||164||144 ||158||219||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Tullamore]]
|-
|160||174||373||330||310||228||397||123||385 ||215||166||247||46||205||170||291||236||51||208||129||212||170||129||160||329||73 ||155||289||226||135||colspan=3 style=text-align:left| [[Waterford]]
|-
|180||189||350||307||315||244||374||184||362 ||112||134||224||107||263||228||307||295||110||269||187||228||186||129||189||307 ||19||214||333||285||151||63||colspan=2 style=text-align:left| [[Wexford]]
|-
|120||170||270||227||280||204||295||254||282 ||112||55||144||176||181||281||146||265||132||346||240||188||146||75||199||227 ||109||265||253||340||146||133||84||[[Wicklow]]
|}

==See also==

* [[Plug-in electric vehicles in the Republic of Ireland]]
* [[Public transport in Ireland]]
* [[State-sponsored bodies of Ireland]]
* [[List of Ireland-related topics]]

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.railusers.ie/ Rail Users Ireland – Ireland's National Rail User organisation]
* [http://www.meathontrack.com Meath on Track – Navan railway campaign] (defunct)
* A discussion on [[RTÉ Radio 1]]'s science show ''Quantum Leap'' about the quality of [[GPS]] mapping in Ireland is available [https://web.archive.org/web/20120929194924/http://www.rte.ie/radio1/quantum/rams/2007/18january.smil here]. The discussion starts 8mins 17sec into the show. It was aired on [https://web.archive.org/web/20120929194924/http://www.rte.ie/radio1/quantum/1060745.html 18 Jan 2007] Requires [[RealPlayer]].
{{Transport in Ireland}}{{Economy of Ireland}}{{Ireland topics}}

{{Transportation in Europe}}{{Economy of the United Kingdom}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Transport in Ireland}}
[[Category:Transport in Ireland| ]]