Photo of the Week - Week 24:
Alexander ALX400-bodied Volvo B7LDD, AX565, is seen at Route 66 terminus at Straffan Road having operated the 1105 service from Pearse Street on the 19th June 2010.
Network direct is nearly upon us, with the first phase little over a month away. Route 66 is one of many routes that will be modified and its current two outer termini will be vacated. Kilcock will be removed altogether as a Dublin Bus terminus while the Straffan Road terminus will be vacated for the 67A Straffan Road terminus at the train station serving the Beaufield / Meadowbrook area en route.
Dublin City Services, the division of CIE that became Dublin Bus, began operating to Kilcock back in 1951. The original terminus was in The Square, a wide junction between New Road, New Lane and School Street, quite common in market towns. The bus used Harbour Street, Bridge Street, New Lane and New Road in a clockwise fashion. More recently the terminus has been on the Enfield Road at Allen Bridge, where the railway line passes under the road. In fact the bus terminus is on the old railway bridge. The routing is very sililar with outbound buses using Harbour Street, Bridge Street, Church Street continuing past Abbeyfield Estate to its terminus. Inbound the bus goes via Church Street, New Lane, New Road and Harbour Street to city.
Phibsborough's AX601 sitting on the Allen Bridge over the Sligo Rail Line on the Enfield Road Kilcock on the 31st May 2010. The R148(Enfield Road) is seen beyond the stop and noticeably the stop is on the right hand side of the bus. However the terminus is always negotiated in the manner shown above.