Train tickets

robinph

Does anyone know if its possible to get some kind of return train ticket that would allow for coming back from a different station to the one on the outbound journey, or am I just better off getting two singles?

MrJoeSoap

I don't think you can get a ticket with different stations on it, but it might be worth asking. If not, you're best off checking the prices and getting a return ticket to the furthest station, if that makes sense.

For example, if you are going from A->B, but coming home from C->A then a return ticket from A->C might work out cheaper than a single from A->B and another from C->A.

Sorry if I made that too complicated!

MarkoP11

Depends where you are going, if you buy a return to Ballina it is in fact valid for return from Sligo there is a listing in the conditions of carriage showing what is allowed. I'll scan it later

You can legally beat the system under certain conditions

Now the rule book is fishy put it simply it is illegal to buy a ticket and to disembark at a station before your stated destination if that ticket was cheaper than buying a ticket to where you actually got off

Got that? Quiz later it does make some sense

Compare prices here
http://www.iarnrodeireann.ie/your_ticket/fares_enquiries.asp
Or try to buy the tickets for your journey online and note the cost

Basically it all depends on where you get on and get off and where you get on going back as well as what day of the week

b3t4

If you are buying the tickets at the station then I'd advise you to ask them at the ticket station.

I've always found them to be very helpful when it comes to these kind of things. They have always suggested what would be the cheapest way for me to travel.

A.

robinph

MarkoP11 wrote:

Compare prices here
http://www.iarnrodeireann.ie/your_ti..._enquiries.asp
Or try to buy the tickets for your journey online and note the cost

I'm looking to go Heuston -> Galway then back from Castlerea, but it seems that they are actually on different lines which might confuse matters a bit. Although from that link it looks like the cost of the return to the end of each line is the same.

MarkoP11

I'm not sure without the book infront of me.

You could try Dublin Athlone return and Athlone Galway and Castlerea Athlone single.

Some IE staff are very helpful with these problems some can be very unhelpful

Of course remember if you get the ticket from Dublin City Centre it is valid on the Luas and 90 bus to/from Heuston and if you want to really mess with the system, if you are starting from a railway station say Howth you can get a ticket from Howth to Galway many staff will deny it can be done but I have a pile of tickets to prove it.

There are ways to save money and endure less hassle http://www.platform11.org/passenger_info/ticketing.php
Best bet if you can is to try the CIE travel centre on Abbey Street in Dublin and see what can be leveraged, they have a copy of the conditions of carriage be sure to ask about the rule about destinations between two rail lines

Right_Side

Question:

Example:
It cost's €3.05 to go from Raheny to Pearse. (Retutn)
It also cost's €3.05 to go from Kilbarrack to Pearse. (Return)

If I get a return to Pearse at Raheny can I legally get off at Kilbarrack on the return journey?

MarkoP11

You cant get off as Kilbarrack is beyond Rahney but you can the other way around*. The rule may seem stupid but given its cheaper to go Athy Dublin return than Kildare Dublin you can see why it exists

* Now if you had an intercity ticket from say Dublin to Cork you could get out at Thurles say and get back on all legal

paulm17781

Mark, is there any reason for this farcical rule or is it just down to IEs incompetance?

MarkoP11

Industry standard you must pay the fare of the journey you undertook, British Rail actually reinstated the rule in the late 1980's

It is actually impossible under normal conditions to trigger the rule, its not possible to break it even with Athy Dublin vs Kildare Dublin as the return fare only applies for journeys starting in Athy

Its a bit like asking Ryanair why its cheaper go to Pisa than Stanstead surely longer means more expensive, I've been given the business justification and it makes some sense

The Black Oil

Some days I go from Skerries to Lansdowne Road for a meeting then return from Lansdowne Road to Pearse, go into town for a bit then Pearse back to Skerries. The back of the ticket is marked twice (initially at Skerries then at Landsdowne Road on the way to Pearse) with some code on the back after it goes through the machine but it will only work twice. So I usually go up to a member of IE staff because I know the machine will reject it and they don't really check so it's grand.

Why aren't the tickets like all day Dublin Bus ones? Am I not paying enough by getting a return for €6.70? I don't know...

MarkoP11

The rail day ticket for the Dublin commuter area is €7.00

Skerries will mark the ticket 115, Lansdowne Rd is 125 as well as the date and time and the number of journeys left 0 or 1. Exit validation is going to nuke you as it might retain the ticket

The Black Oil

Can I get that €7.00 ticket from those automated machines at Skerries/any station? EDIT: I presume I could get one from the stationmaster at the hatch?

MarkoP11

It would appear not, there is an upgrade comming on the Heuston side which will make the City Centre destination available and student tickets but no word on day tickets

MarkoP11

It seems you can buy a return to Galway and board in Castlerea

enterprise

I was just going to post the same info myself Marko.

icdg

MarkoP11 wrote:

Of course remember if you get the ticket from Dublin City Centre it is valid on the Luas and 90 bus to/from Heuston and if you want to really mess with the system, if you are starting from a railway station say Howth you can get a ticket from Howth to Galway many staff will deny it can be done but I have a pile of tickets to prove it.

I had such an experience on Friday - tried to buy a ticket from my local (Maynooth line) station to Limerick. The person in my local station freely admitted it could be done but that she "didn't know the code" for Limerick. Connolly issued me a ticket from there to Limerick no problem (and they, at least, seem to have no problem issuing tickets from anywhere to anywhere on the Irish Rail network).

enterprise

icdg wrote:

I had such an experience on Friday - tried to buy a ticket from my local (Maynooth line) station to Limerick. The person in my local station freely admitted it could be done but that she "didn't know the code" for Limerick. Connolly issued me a ticket from there to Limerick no problem (and they, at least, seem to have no problem issuing tickets from anywhere to anywhere on the Irish Rail network).

Fair play to her for admitting it, however surely Maynooth has copies of the fare manual to hand, which she could have referred to.

I would have stood my ground and asked that she either rang a: Connolly, b: Heuston or c: Limerick to check the code for Limerick.

MarkoP11

There is a fares manual but it doesn't appear to be circulated to non intercity stations, its printed in the same format as the old timetable. And yes IE management have been made aware

If in doubt she should have rung HQ, previously in fact staff where told not to issue such tickets. If anyone needs to know Thurles is 013

robinph

MarkoP11 wrote:

It seems you can buy a return to Galway and board in Castlerea

Thanks for that.

MarkoP11

Print that pdf out and bring it with you, there is a reference to ordinary single or return so student tickets, weekender and faircard may not be valid

If you know the system you can beat it legally, all you need to say is Tuam was your destination as thats mid way between Galway and Castlerea to invoke the rule. Galway is 10 more miles than Castlerea is the fare is valid

Its a case of trying things out, there is a lot of flexibilty there that most people don't believe exists

Victor

MarkoP11 wrote:

The rule may seem stupid but given its cheaper to go Athy Dublin return than Kildare Dublin you can see why it exists

Erm, why is this?

enterprise

Victor wrote:

Erm, why is this?

I would reckon its something to do with the fare structures in that Kildare is on the Express fare scale (Dublin - Cork route), while Athy is on the Economy fare scale (Dublin - Waterford route).

Does a similar situation exist with Portarlington and Tullamore I wonder?

off to www.irishrail.ie to find out!

MarkoP11

Irish Rail have an insane ticket pricing system its partly business driven partly historical partly as much as the DoT will allow and in Dublin whatever Dublin Bus charge

Athy should under any system cost more than Kildare since it is longer, in this case its a business decision to stimulate demand. Fare to destinations on single track lines are at a lower price as the journey is slower and less reliable

craigybagel

MarkoP11 wrote:

You cant get off as Kilbarrack is beyond Rahney but you can the other way around.

Used to break that rule all the time using my 7 day Kilbarrack-Pearse ticket to Howth Junction on the Droghedas even got checked once by an inspector on the train had no idea i was breaking any rules!