On August 20th part of the Broadmeadow viaduct on the Malahide Causeway collapsed into the Malahide estauary, shortly after the 18.07 Balbriggan - Dublin Pearse train passed over it, due to corrision of the bridge supports. Thankfully no one was injured, but the collapse crippled the Northern Rail Line. Bus shuttles here very quickly organised and a shuttle service between Malahide DART station and Donabate Rail Station Organised, with a direct city centre service following soon afterwards.
Ringsend's EV7 is seen here swinging off Donabate on August 30th 2009, shortly after arriving from Custom House Quay.
Summerhill's AV271 is seen here at Malahide on August 24th 2009. The Donabate - Malahide shuttle started in advance of the 33D, operating from the DART station in Malahide. This service, which operates on an average frequency of 60 minutes off peak and 20-30 Minutes peak , is mainly operated between Clontarf, Donnybrook, Harristown & Summerhill Depots.
Buses routinely layover either at the 32A or 42 terminus in Malahide. The shuttle operates from Malahide via Malahide Road , Swords Road, R132 from the Pavillions Roundabout to the Lissenhall interchange, Hearse Road and then into Donabate Railway Station via Turvey Avenue & The Square. One departure a day extends to Portmarnock as a schools service.
EV4 is seen here at Custom House Quay . The 33D, which operates directly from Custom House to Donabate via the Port Tunnell, is mainly operated by AX & EV Class from Ringsend Depot. The service starts at Custom House Quay, operating via North Wall Quay, East Wall Road, Port Tunnell & the M1 to the Lissenhall Interchange, where it follows the Shuttle Route to Donabate Station, departures up to between 9-12 return services a day.
All services operate directly into Donabate Railway Station's Car Park, and as can be seen below, operate a direct service to the train, which operates on a mainly hourly frequency from Drogheda / Dundalk. All other train connections off Dublin Bus extra services are made in Malahide & Skerries. Private Operators operate express buses to Balbriggan, Drogheda & Dundalk.
Vehicle Types tend to differ on the service. Most services are EV & AV/AX operated, although RV's and VT's have been seen on the route. VT1 is seen below at Donabate.
Below VT1 can be seen a brief (although somewhat shakey film!) of RV506 arriving into Donabate. For a full route film we recommend visiting the Dublin Bus Stuff.com feature, and their video of the Malahide Shuttle Route in full.
(Note : Due to technical difficulties the RV506 Film is currently offline. A similar film can be found on Dublin Bus Stuff.com)
Relevent Links to this Feature
Garaiste 33 / 33B / 33D / 33X Discussion Thread
Irish Terminus.com 33X Feature
