CIÉ – Ireland’s Largest Public Transport Provider

Driving Change for a Sustainable Future.

Our History

Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), was founded on 1st January 1945 under the Transport Act 1944.  It united the Great Southern Railways (GSR) and the Dublin United Tramway Company (DUTC). The GSR operated rail, bus and lorry services.  It had come into existence in 1925 when all the railway companies lying wholly within the Free State were amalgamated into one concern.  Under the Transport Acts of 1932 and 1933 the GSR was given the right to compulsorily acquire its road competition. It’s most notable acquisition was the Irish Omnibus Company - the ancestor of Bus Éireann.
 
The Transport Act 1950 transformed CIÉ into a semi state body.  In 1958 CIÉ absorbed the road and rail services of the Great Northern Railway, which lay within the republic.  This company had previously operated as a cross border body jointly managed by the two governments.
 
From 2nd February 1987, under the Transport (Re Organisation of Córas Iompair Éireann) Act, 1986, three CIÉ subsidiaries were established:
  • Bus Átha Cliath (Dublin Bus) which operates Dublin City bus services.
  • Bus Éireann which operates provincial bus services, Expressway and city bus services in Cork, Limerick and Galway.
  • Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) which operates rail services, including the cross-border Enterprise services operated jointly with Northern Ireland Railways.  It also operates Rosslare Harbour.
In additional to the core operations within its subsidiaries, the CIÉ Holding Company operates CIE Tours, extensive shared series across the Group and manages a large property portfolio.
 

 The CIÉ Group today 

The CIÉ Group remains Ireland’s largest public transport provider.  With over 12,000 staff, the Group carried 350 million passengers in 2023.  The Group works closely with the Department of Transport, the National Transport Authority and other key stakeholders.  Unprecedented capital investment will see significant growth in services over the coming years.  The Group’s Sustainability Strategy is transforming our services and operations into a low carbon, fully circular business.

Sustainability

In 2018, CIÉ carried over 275 million passengers as Ireland’s largest public transport operator. The CIÉ Group plays a critical role in reducing emissions from the transport sector  

Please click here to read more about Sustainability 

Group Property

The CIÉ Group is one of the largest landowners in the country.  All developments are grounded in the principles of transit oriented development.  

The CIÉ Retail portfolio comprises of a range of retail units across the Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann portfolio, generally at Rail and Bus Stations.

Please click here to read more about Group Property

History of CIÉ

Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), was founded on 1st January 1945 under the Transport Act 1944.  It united the Great Southern Railways (GSR) and the Dublin United Tramway Company (DUTC).

Please click here to read more about the History of CIÉ

Heuston Masterplan

The Heuston Masterplan is an ambitious plan exploring the opportunities for CIÉ’s lands at Heuston Station Dublin and neighbouring site at Conyngham Road Bus Garage. 

The development presents an opportunity to be one of the largest and most sustainable Transit Oriented Developments in Ireland.

Please click here to read more about the Heuston Masterplan

What we do Contact us

Report Highlights

The CIÉ Group 2024 Annual Report highlights CIÉ’s role as the lead provider of public transport across the island of Ireland.  Highlights include:

• 322m passenger journeys, an increase of 7%
• Capital investment of €390m

The Report also highlights progress under the Group’s Sustainability Strategy and important Transit Orientated Developments across the country.

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Report Highlights

The CIÉ Group Sustainability Annual Review sets out the progress made in implementing the Group’s Sustainability Strategy in 2024.  The report highlights dozens of programmes across various areas including:

• Launch of Ireland’s first all-electric regional bus fleet in Limerick by Bus Éireann;
• Delivery of new battery-electric DART+ trains to Iarnród Éireann;
• A 8.5% reduction in emissions intensity per kilometre travelled since 2019;
• Expanded solar PV and rainwater harvesting infrastructure across depots;
• Significant progress in biodiversity mapping, heritage archiving, and inclusive recruitment.
• The 2024 Review also details CIÉ Group’s preparations for compliance with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD.
• With a focus on innovation, social value, and climate leadership, the CIÉ Group is working to ensure that sustainability is at the heart of Ireland’s public transport system.

 

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Our Group at a Glance

Carrying over 322 million passengers in 2024, core services are provided across four companies

Operating Companies