Dublin Bus route 42B operates from Lower Abbey Street via Fairview serving the Malahide Road as far as the busy Artane roundabout, then operating into Gracefield Road, McAuley Park, along the Harmonstown Road, close by the Dart Station, into Edenmore housing estate & back out onto the Tonlegee Road ( connection with Dublin Bus Route 17A ) before terminating on Blunden Drive, also known as Ayrfield.
Route 42B operates approx every 20 minutes seven days a week. Although the route is not yet designated low floor accessible, at least 75 % of the service are now operated by wheelchair ramp fitted low floor buses.
Additional services operate as route 42A, following the 42B from the City Centre, however at Donnycarney Church ( connection with Dublin Bus Route 20B ) turn left along Collins Avenue ( a replacement for former route 20A ), then along the Howth Road as far as Sybil Hill ( connection with Dublin Bus Route 31 ), left & onto Harmonstown Road rejoining route 42B as far as Blunden Drive. Route 42A is an extension of route 42B, operating past Blunden Drive along Priorswood ( a replacement for route 101 ) , Northside shopping Centre, Kilbarron Road & terminating at Beaumont Hospital. Route 42A operates an approx hourly frequency.
Route
42B
Lower Abbey Street
Bus Aras
Connolly Rail Station
Five Lamps
North Strand
Fairview Park
Malahide Road/ Griffith Ave
Malahide Road/ Donnycarney
Malahide Road/ Artane Roundabout
Gracefield Road
Former Dublin Bus Volvo Olympian RV 463 is seen at Blunden Drive, terminus for route 42B in 2009. RV 463 was withdrawn from the fleet later in the year.
Dublin Bus Route 42B
Lower Abbey Street
Connolly Station
Fairview Park
Donnycarney
Artane Roundabout
Edenmore
Blunden Drive
4
2
route
B
McAuley Park
Harmonstown Road
Edenmore Estate
Edenmore Grove
Springdale Road
Tonlegee Road
Blunden Drive
4
2
route
B
4
2
route
B
Clontarf VanHool D 641 on an inbound route 42A with the " Harmonstown " scroll along the Malahide Road. The bus shelter with a long gone Quinnsworth own brand " yellow pack " Photo Darren Hall
D 655 on Marlborough Street opn route 28 18th June 1994
Photo Darren Hall
Phibsboro Garage KD 203 with its allover wrap for PMPA insurance. KD 203 was loaned to Clontarf in Summer 1991. Overall wraps were frequently loaned to other garages for greater coverage & KD 203 was one of the few advertising liveries to be seen on Clontarf routes until the arrival of the Harp Lager campaign on RH 63.
This PMPA ad caused some fury at the time for promoting " female driver discount ".
KD 203 is seen above on route 42B's old Talbot Street terminus ( now 27 terminus ) 17th August 1991.
Photo Darren Hall
Route 42B ( early morning ghost working )
05.50 departure from Kilbarrack Road
This current departure operates Monday to Saturday operating along the Kilbarrack Road, turning off at Tonlegee Avenue & operating the normal 42B as far as Amiens Street, then Buckingham Street, North Circular Road, Summerhill Bus Garage, Gardiner Street, Parnell Square, Cathal Brugha Street, O'Connell Street, D'Olier Street & terminating at College Wall.
Its return trip from Lower Abbey Street at 6.30 operates via Clontarf Road ( Dublin Bus Clontarf Garage ) & therefore not operating via Malahide Road or Edenmore.
Dublin Bus Volvo B9 ALX400 AV 235 seen on route 42B. AV 235 is a low floor wheelchair accessible bus, a type more commonly operating the route in 2010.
4
2
route
B
Route 42 A/B history
Route 42A began in the summer of 1926 operating to Kinsealy as an extension of Route 42 to Coolock. According to Dublin's Buses (P.J. Flanagan et al.) the 42A was extended to Malahide within 6 months.
On the 3rd June 1929, the GNR began competing on the same route, same date there service to Malahide via Baldoyle and Portmarnock began. The GNR withdrew their Malahide (42A) service on the night of the 5th April 1941 as part of an agreement with the DUTC, on the 6th the DUTC introduced a revised service.
Then about 1953 the designations of the Routes were reversed with Route 42 being (City-Malahide) and Route 42A being (City-Coolock).
In 1954 the 42A to Artane began. In Dublin's buses it says that the services to Coolock were extended to Artane. In fact these buses no longer served Coolock instead operating up to St. Brigid's Roundabout only. The terminus was on Brookwood Avenue, the buses performing a reversing movement into Brookwood Park.
In 1958 the 42B began operating serving the Gracefield Avenue, McAuley Park area. Both terminus were listed as Artane.
In the 4th Popular Edition of the Dublin Street Guide the routings were as follows from Malahide Road:
42A: St. Brigid's Road, Brookwood Road, Brookwood Avenue terminating at corner of Brookwood Rise/Rosemount Avenue.
42B: Gracefield Road, McAuley Road, McAuley Avenue, Gracefield Avenue, McAuley Park, Ribh Road, terminating at corner of Harmonstown Road/Lein Gardens.
Somewhere between the 5th Popular Edition (1964) and the 8th Popular Edition (1967) the routings changed slightly, the 42B now cut short to terminate at the square green area composed of McAuley Park and McAuley Drive, to this day there is three bus stops on McAuley Park in close proximity indicating a set down terminus. The 42A was extended up the Harmonstown Road to the former 42B terminus.
Sometime between 1970 and 1973 Route 42A was changed slightly extended to a new terminus on the Springdale Road at the corner of Edenmore Crescent. This junction is very wide and a bus is easily capable of turning around here without a reverse movement.
Around 1974 the Eden Quay terminus (it was Burgh Quay for a short time in September 1966) was vacated for a new city terminus on Lower Gardiner Street. This was eventually modified to Talbot Street in the mid-to-late 70's.
In the early 1980s Route 42A and B were merged, the 42B number being used on a new route to Blunden Drive. The 42A and 42B from Malahide Road roundabout were then as follows:
42A: Gracefield Road, as per current 42B routing to Harmonstown Road (including the different outbound and inbound routings around the green area at McAuley Drive) and then onto the Springdale Road terminus.
Then on the March 6th 1988 the 42A and B were merged again, this time with the loss of the 42A number. The new combined 42B route followed the 42A to Harmonstown Road, then left on Springdale Road, Glenwood Road, Glenfarne Road, Tonlegee Road, Millbrook Road, Blunden Drive. On the inbound it did not serve Glenfarne Road, instead turning left directly from Tonlegee Road to Springdale Road.
The Routing stayed like this until the 14th July 1996 when Routes 28 and 42B were merged bringing back Route 42A (which was basically Route 28 extended to Blunden Drive). The city centre terminus was changed to Lower Abbey Street from Talbot Street at this point. The routings from Fairview were as follows:
On the 13th June 1999 the 42A was modified again, this time to operate from Fairview via Donnycarney Church (Malahide Road and Collins Avenue East) to Howth Road and then as above to Blunden Drive. This was to remove the curious Route 20B workings via Donnycarney North after Dublin Bus basically withdrew the 20A (were still one or two a day up to this point). From then on Route 20A was fully discontinued and the 20B no longer went on the 20A diversion. There was serious complaints from the 20B passengers up to this time, with the 20B having to endure the extension into Donnycarney North, particularly time consuming for rush hour commuters, so the re routing of the 42A was a compromise to service the residents of lower Collins Avenue/ Donnycarney North.
As part of the new 103/104 route amendments, Route 101 was discontinued and Route 42A saw some of its Monday-Friday services extended to Beaumont Hospital via Blunden Drive, Priorswood Road, Glin Road, Barryscourt Road, Kilmore Road and Kilbarron Road. This was effecting as and from Monday the 17th April 2000. Then from the 7th August 2005, all Route 42A departures continued to Beaumont Hospital Monday-Sunday.
Above text thanks to Craig Berry
KD 104 on Talbot Street 6th April 1996, this was the then terminus for routes 42A, 42B & 42C, now home to route 27
Photo Darren Hall
While featuring routes 42A & 42B, it would not be fair not to mention former Dublin Bus route 28 ( City Centre - Edenmore ), operating in the 90's via the North Strand, Fairview, Howth Road as far as Killester Church, left onto Sybil Hill, right onto Harmonstown Road, past the Dart Station, left at Springdale Road, into Edenmore Estate ( Edenmore Grove , then Park ), back out onto Springdale Road, Glenfearne Road, Tonlegee Drive & terminating at the first stop on Glenwood Road.
Route 28 was absorbed & canceled into a new super route 42A/B from July 1996, the Howth Road part would now be serviced from route 42A, which would join with the 42B along the Harmonstown Road & both would operate from there into Edenmore Estate & Glenwood.
The Dublin Bus press release at the time of the withdrawal of route 28 & new routings for the 42A & 42B.
At this time route 42A only operating to Blunden Drive, the extension of the route to Beaumont Hospital would happen at a later date, as radial route 101 was still operating at this time.
The Dublin Bus timetables for the change in 1996.
On the left side, the new route 42A & 42B, the A's via Howth Road, while the B's via the Malahide Road, while on the right side, the last 28 timetable before the route was cancelled in July 1996
Like route 28's association with the 42B, former radial route 101 was also inextricably linked to the 42B.
Route 101 was a Dart feeder route, linking vast area's of Coolock, Darndale, Edenmore & Beaumont with Harmonstown Dart Station in 1996.
Route 101 was discontinued, last running on Saturday 15th April 2000, replaced by an extended 42A to Beaumont Hospital and the modified 103/104 services.
Photo Darren Hall
Back to the tan livery, Clontarf VanHool D 608 loads up at the old style Adshel shelter at Bus Aras 21st September 1985 on route 42B, the via blind set to the traditional " via Connolly Station "
Photo Shane Conway
A view from a very different Talbot Street, with wide road & the old bus stop located closer to the junction with Amiens Street, Clontarf D 617 leaving the stop 12th July 1986
Photo Shane Conway
Bombardier KD 19, one of the first delivered Shannon built bus to Clontarf is seen resting on Marlborough Street 26th April 1998
Photo Fred Dean
Leyland Olympian RH 157, part of the first batch of RH's delivered to Dublin Bus in 1993 is seen on Lower Abbey Street.
Photo Fred Dean
RH 60, which would see further service at Phibsboro is seen on Marlborough Street in two tone green.
Photo Fred Dean
GAC single decker KC 113 of Clontarf seen on route 42B.
Photo Mick Hughes
KD 9 of Clontarf, thoughtfully dressed with the via blind set at " Via Artane " leaves Lower Abbey Street for Blunden Drive.
Photo Mick Hughes
Bombardier KD 352 of Clontarf on route 42B in April 1998.
KD 352 was an extra KD type delivered to Clontarf, a direct replacement for KD 111 which was severely damaged while operating route 42 past Kinsealy only a few weeks after entering service.
KD 352 was diverted from a Donnybrook delivery, hence the production of one extra KD, 366.
Photo Fred Dean
Finally, originally delivered to Summerhill Garage in 1992, RH 142 is seen operating route 42B.
RH 140 to 142 from Summerhill were moved to Clontarf during various cascaded.
RH 140- 142 are still in service today, as part of the Driving School & maintained by Clontarf Garage.
Special thanks to the following people for making this route 42B feature possible.....
Bob Laird
Craig Berry
Darren Hall
Fred Dean
Mick Hughes
Shane Conway
Lower Abbey Street
Bus Aras
Connolly Rail Station
Five Lamps
North Strand
Fairview Park
Malahide Road/ Griffith Ave
Malahide Road/ Donnycarney
Malahide Road/ Artane Roundabout
Gracefield Road
McAuley Park
Harmonstown Road
Edenmore Estate
Edenmore Grove
Springdale Road
Tonlegee Road
Blunden Drive
Lower Abbey Street
Bus Aras
Connolly Rail Station
Five Lamps
North Strand
Fairview Park
Malahide Road/ Griffith Ave
Malahide Road/ Donnycarney
Malahide Road/ Artane Roundabout
Gracefield Road
McAuley Park
Harmonstown Road
Edenmore Estate
Edenmore Grove
Springdale Road
Tonlegee Road
Blunden Drive
Lower Abbey Street
Bus Aras
Connolly Rail Station
Five Lamps
North Strand
Fairview Park
Malahide Road/ Griffith Ave
Malahide Road/ Donnycarney
Malahide Road/ Artane Roundabout
Gracefield Road
McAuley Park
Harmonstown Road
Edenmore Estate
Edenmore Grove
Springdale Road
Tonlegee Road
Blunden Drive
R 179, a Clontarf Garage Leyland TD 5 is seen on Eden Quay facing towards Custom House Quay
Up to the early 1960s (when it was banned for traffic and safety reasons) routes 41 and 42 came inbound via Lr Abbey St and Marlboro St. and turned left onto Eden Quay, crossing to a terminus on the wrong side of the road, facing towards Custom House but on the river side.On departure they had to cross traffic to exit via Beresford Place.
Photo Bob Laird
Do you have some more info on routes 42A/B ?, then email the site...
Volvo Olympian RV 500 seen loading on Lower Abbey Street, further down at the Irish Life plaza, current terminus for Swords route 41, August 2003
