Answer To Previous Thread Regarding Irish Rail Fine!

Hi All,

For those of you who were aware of and saw my thread on the beginning of November, I posted this thread which got a large response. Since I don't have 50 posts, I am not allowed to post links but please go and read the thread called: "Got Issued A Penalty Notice By Irish Rail After Being Allowed To Travel By Staff!", should be relatively easy to find.

After you have read the thread above, below is the reply by the IE RPU stating that I NEED to PAY the fine.

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Dear Mr (my name),

Thank you for your email in relation to fixed penalty notice RU28601 issued to you on the 3rd November 2014. My sincere apologies in the delay responding to your email, this is due to a large volume of correspondence we are currently dealing with.

I have read your email in conjunction with the issuing officer’s report.

For some time now we have been implementing a zero policy on persons who fail to produce valid travel tickets when asked to do so. It is each customer’s responsibility to ensure they have a valid ticket when he or she boards a train to travel, and allow themselves sufficient time to purchase tickets. This is something we have advertised in our trains and stations extensively over recent years.

Online tickets are subject to certain terms and conditions including the Conditions of Carriage, please see below:



(Link To Amending Reservations)



“Amendments and Cancellations

Currently Iarnród Éireann has no facility to cancel or amend a booking online. Passengers wishing to travel on the same day, but on an alternative train other than the time shown on their ticket, can do so provided seats are available, by paying a surcharge if applicable. The surcharge of €10 should be paid at the booking office before boarding the train. If a booking office is not open the surcharge must be paid on board the train. All tickets are only valid for travel on the dates printed on the ticket only.

Failure to produce a valid ticket, appropriate ID or surcharge where necessary will result in a fine of €100 together with the relevant unpaid fare.

Change and Cancellation charges apply. Cancellation requests made after the dates printed on the ticket cannot be facilitated. Bookings that have not been cancelled prior to the expiry date on the ticket are not eligible for refund.”

As the ticket you produced was invalid for travel we are not in a position to negate the fixed penalty notice issued to you.

Therefore, payment of €126.40 is required to be made within 14 days of this email.

Payment of the fixed penalty notice may be made either by cheque/postal order, made payable to Iarnród Éireann or Irish Rail. Alternatively, you may pay my by credit/laser card by telephoning the RPU at 01 703 2324, 01 703 2461 or 01 703 2437 between 09:15 – 13:00 and 14:15 – 16:30 Monday to Friday. Payment can also be made at the booking office of some major rail stations such as Killarney.

Failure to pay by the due date will result in an additional administration charge being applied prior to referring the matter to our Legal Department for processing through the Courts.

A prosecution can result in a criminal conviction and a fine of up to €1,000.00.

Kind Regards,

James Devoy.
An tAonad umChosaint Ioncaim, Iarnród Éireann, Stáisiún Uí Chonghaile.
Revenue Protection Unit, Irish Rail, Connolly Station.
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This to me looks like a copy and paste reply. They say they have been "implementing a zero policy on persons who fail to produce valid travel tickets when asked to do so", yet I was allowed to board the train by a member of staff, clearly they were not aware of this "zero policy" implementation.

IR should start caring more about customers and not money. (Which won't happen obviously)

Thanks for your time in reading this.

Alan.