DUBLIN BUS made a significant improvement to the Bray area infrastructure, with service enhancements, in particular affecting residents in the Kilmacanogue/ Ballywaltrim/ Herbert Road/ Oldcourt of Bray during October 2004.
Route 145, formerly a rail feeder service from Ballywaltrim via Bray DART Station to Palermo has been completely revamped now operating directly to the City Centre. As well as customers in the West Bray area now having a direct link with Dublin City Centre, the route uses the N11 & Stillorgan Quality Bus Corridor reducing the journey time.
Donnybrook Volvo Olympian RV 584 ( 99 D 584 ) is seen above heading down O' Connell Street on the first ever 145, the 9.20 departure from Mountjoy Square on Sunday 3rd October 2004.
Route 145 now operates right through the heart of the City Centre along the 46A Stillorgan Quality Bus Corridor, Stephens Green, Suffolk Street, O' Connell Street, Parnell Square & terminates on Mountjoy Square.
The service operates a clean & straightforward timetable, with a 20 minute frequency all day Monday to Friday, every 30 minutes on Saturday & every 40 minutes on Sundays approx.
Donnybrook Volvo Olympian RV 586 is seen heading across O' Connell Bridge on Sunday 3rd October 2004 having worked the first ever City bound service, ex Kilmacanogue @ 8.50 am. ( its 9.40 ).
The new 145 is bound to be a huge benefit & success
- full marks to Dublin Bus
Route 63 also seen some minor changes during the service changes.
Unfortunately, the route had a few service pruned back however the service is now extended cross city, also now terminating on Mountjoy Square.
Donnybrook Volvo Olympian RV 555 is seen operating its first ever Mountjoy Square departure on Sunday 3rd October 2004 @ 11.00 hrs.
RH 161, a Leyland Olympian originally delivered to Clontarf Garage in 1993 is seen operating the 145 on the 18th June 2005
Donnybrook AV 325, delivered in Cityswift livery especially for route 46A is seen on O'Connell Street 11 March 2006. The destination " via Bray Stn " indicated that a driver changeover would occur at the station.
Route 145 at Heuston Railway Station, at the main bus & LUAS concourse at the front of the building, the 145 now the direct bus linking Dublin City Centre with Heuston Station following changes to Network Direct introduced in 2010.
On Sunday 19th September 2010, route 145 became the main bus service linking the station with the Capital, offering a high frequency 10 minute service at the peak & offering greater connections from beyond the City Centre such as Donnybrook,, Stillorgan, Foxrock & Bray.
Route 145 becoming the new flagship was hugely significant, from route 24 in the late 30's, the interstation 90 from 1986, the Luas link 92 introduced, plus supplementary routes such as the 90A & 91.
Donnybrook EV 99, an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 is seen loading at the station concourse on 27th September 2010.
EV 26 of Donnybrook is seen at the southern end of the 145 terminus at Kilmacanogue along the N11 towards Wicklow.
Route 145 is now low floor operated, mainly using Volvo ALX400's & Volvo Enviro400's, supplemented by some larger tri-axle Enviro500's.
VT 17 of Donnybrook, a tri-axle Volvo B9 with Alexander Dennis Enviro500 is seen on route 145 along Kilbride Lane in Ballywaltrim the first day the VT class were introduced onto the route to supplement capacity.
Following teething problems with the 145 to Heuston, Broadstone's entire VT fleet ( VT 21 to 32 ) were transferred over to Donnybrook over two weekends to increase capacity on the 145, VT 21 to 32 would fit numerically perfect with the existing VT 1-20 fleet at Donnybrook for route 46A. VT 21 to 25 moved on Sunday 26th for service the following day onwards. Even on day one VT1-25 appeared on both the 46A & 145.
VT 18 passes out AX 642, both operating as route 145 on Bray Main Street.
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The original 145
Route 145 originally started off as a feeder route in the Bray area as part of a number of new routes, using minibuses being introduced by Dublin Bus over the network.
Route 145 originally operated from Kilmacanogue via Ballywaltrim & Bray Main Street to Bray Dart Station, with selected services extended to Palermo in the north of Bray town.
The " Localink " branding was applied to the minibus fleet, mainly comprising of 23 seater Mercedes Benz 709D's with both Alexander & Leicester Carriage Builders body's, with an array of liveries from the two tone green/ cream roofed following on from the Metrorider fleet, the Dublin Bus core blue & cream colours, plus the City Imp livery as some minibuses strayed off Donnybrook's other minibus routes 44B, 59 & 155.
Green MA 20 is seen above on route 145 in May 1997 at Bray Station, while ML 10 is seen in the core Dublin Bus colours in Feb 2001.
Minibuses also launched the 146 route in Bray, operating from Bray Station just to Ballywaltrim, the 85 was converted from KC single to a new minibus type 185 while the 84A became a 184.
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Donnybrook WV 7, a Volvo B6BLE operating route 145 in July 2004 at Bray Station.
The 52 strong WV class ultimately wiped out the minibus fleet which became a victim of their own success & gradually the WV's replaced the minibuses at Bray. WV 7 is still in City Imp livery, originally delivered to Ringsend Garage for route 150, another route which began as a minibus route, then developed into midi & now double decker.
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Photo Darren Hall
Photo Darren Hall
Route 145 from local Bray route to new Dublin City route
Route 145 - more photos....
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Nitelink AV 256 makes an appearance on the 145 in September 2006
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Donnybrook AV 70 with its glowing experimental Hanover LED fitted display on O'Connell Street in January 2007. Its a prelude to what will happen shortly as the entire ALX400 is retrofitted with new LED displays.
When Donnybrook's 2nd batch of the EV class arrived in 2009, most of the 2 batches then settled in almost exclusively on the 145
EV 23 seen on Parnell Square 12th July 2009
Donnybrook EV 91 seen on Leeson Street 9th September 2010
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Bray Station in July 2010, EV 21 loads up for its old City Centre terminus at Mountjoy Square.
Route
145
Heuston Train Station
Four Courts
O'Connell Bridge
Nassau Street
St Stephens Green
Leeson Street upper/ lower
Donnybrook Village
Stillorgan N 11
Foxrock N 11
Cornelscourt
N 11
Loughlinstown Hospital
Shankill Village
Woodbrook
Bray Main Street
Ballywaltrim
Kilmacanogue
UCD Belfield
Route
145
Heuston Train Station
Four Courts
O'Connell Bridge
Nassau Street
St Stephens Green
Leeson Street upper/ lower
Donnybrook Village
Stillorgan N 11
Foxrock N 11
Cornelscourt
N 11
Loughlinstown Hospital
Shankill Village
Woodbrook
Bray Main Street
Ballywaltrim
Kilmacanogue
UCD Belfield
Route
145
Heuston Train Station
Four Courts
O'Connell Bridge
Nassau Street
St Stephens Green
Leeson Street upper/ lower
Donnybrook Village
Stillorgan N 11
Foxrock N 11
Cornelscourt
N 11
Loughlinstown Hospital
Shankill Village
Woodbrook
Bray Main Street
Ballywaltrim
Kilmacanogue
UCD Belfield
Donnybrook Enviro500 VT 33 on route 145 on Kildare Street heading towards Bray with its new offside mega square for Emirates who had just started a new air route from Dubai to Dublin days earlier.
