Following a €15m investment, Dublin Bus has reopened its historic Broadstone Depot in Dublin as a a modern bus fleet maintenance facility.

The Broadstone depot is now one of eight Dublin Bus depots, and can handle up to 120 buses at any given time, employing 300 people. It is part of the larger Broadstone complex that provides direct employment to 1,500 people.

The depot will cater for the vehicle maintenance requirements of the existing Dublin Bus fleet — but it is also equipped to maintain future vehicle specifications, such as full-battery electric vehicles, and is also flexible enough to suit hydrogen vehicles in future if required.

Transport minister Eamon Ryan said: “As we transition towards a cleaner and greener urban bus fleet, Broadstone Depot will be home to these new, low emission buses. 

“It is fitting that this historic depot will play a role in maintaining these vehicles which will have a positive environmental impact for the communities which they serve. The fact that the depot is equipped to manage future vehicle specifications means it is ready to support Dublin’s shift towards a more sustainable public transport service.”

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Dublin Bus chief executive Ray Coyne (pictured) added: “Broadstone Depot is owned by future generations and we’ve been careful to preserve it and bring it back to life for the purpose it was built."

Broadstone first opened in 1850 and the company has set out to preserve and conserve the original architecture, incorporating restored structures such as the old overhead gantry cranes and the original cast iron frameworks — with the happy effect of cutting the carbon footprint of the scheme. 

Dublin Bus worked with Dublin City Council, Phibsboro Village Tidy Towns, and the Dublin Swift Conservation Group on the sustainability and conservation aspects, becoming the first semi-state company in Ireland to incorporate swift nesting boxes onto the site.