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Irish Rail - Adult 7 Day Rolling Rail Ticket - 2 Questions

  • 25-08-2011 4:24pm
    #1
    EdwardHopper
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27 ✭


    Ok, so the story is:
    Starting a new job. I can't avail of taxsaver until next January with them so I'm on my own until then.

    I have gone through the website and the "Adult 7 Day Rolling Rail" ticket seems to suit me from Dublin 15 to city centre @ €19.90.

    My questions are:
    (A) Can I purchase this from the ticket machine or do I have to buy it from the actual ticket office at the station?
    and
    (B) do I have to buy it on the day I first travel or can I buy it on Saturday for activation on Monday?

    I ask the 2nd question as I imagine the ticket office will be busy at rush hour on a Monday am and I don't want to have any extra stress on my first morning. As it's a 7 day Rolling even if the answer to B is that it activates on the day of purchase whenever that is rather than when it is first used, I could just buy on Saturday and renew every Saturday even if I only use it 5 days a week. The 7 day rolling ticket works out slightly cheaper than 2 day returns + a 3 day rolling ticket (€4.40 + €4.40 + €11.80 = €20.60).

    Any advice from regular commuter train/dart users appreciated. I found an old thread similar to this but it's 3 years old so I would prefer more up-to-date advice.


Comments

  • #2
    Victor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,580 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Note that you can use the ticket on any trip within the zones. So if you buy a Leixlip Louisa Bridge-City Centre ticket (or Clonsilla-Sandymount), it is also valid Castleknock-Drumcondra and that you can use it at weekends or several times per day.

    As it is a rolling ticket, you can have it run from any day to any day.
    EdwardHopper wrote: »
    My questions are:
    (A) Can I purchase this from the ticket machine or do I have to buy it from the actual ticket office at the station?
    I believe you can buy it at either. However...
    (B) do I have to buy it on the day I first travel or can I buy it on Saturday for activation on Monday?
    ... to do this you will likely need to go to the booking office and specify that you want it to start on the Monday. I suspect all ticket-machine issued tickets are for immediate use only.

    You might also investigate monthly tickets.


  • #3
    EdwardHopper
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27 ✭EdwardHopper


    Thanks for your replies and extra bonus info Victor.

    Sounds like I'll have to pick a quiet time and talk to a staff member in the booking office.

    I was not aware that there were monthly options available outside of the Taxsaver scheme as they don't come up on the irish rail website fare search - it listed only single, return, 3-day, and 7-day tickets (along with child, scholar and student options).

    If there was a monthly option totalling less than approx €86 it would be better value.


  • #4
    Victor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,580 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    You might also check the ID requirements - you don't want to get stung for €100.


  • #5
    EdwardHopper
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27 ✭EdwardHopper


    It seems 9.30am is such a quiet time at Coolmine station that it is un-manned by then.... so no answers yet.

    There's no signage at the station to indicate when the booking office is manned - does anyone on here know if the booking office at Coolmine Station is manned at any time on Saturdays or Sundays?

    I had a quick look at the machine but couldn't find anything matching the description or prices I'd checked online & anyway I think if I bought it from a machine it would activate immediately rather than on first usage next Monday. I aborted the ticket machine research when some people came along and needed tickets before next train arrived.

    I've just found the station page on Irish Rail's website and it indicates that the office is manned 6am - 8pm Mon - Sat which clearly is not the case today. Is this info out of date or is something weird going on today?


  • #6
    Victor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,580 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    EdwardHopper wrote: »
    I've just found the station page on Irish Rail's website and it indicates that the office is manned 6am - 8pm Mon - Sat which clearly is not the case today. Is this info out of date or is something weird going on today?
    I suspect many of the station pages are completely out of date.


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  • #7
    EdwardHopper
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27 ✭EdwardHopper


    No - I checked with @irishrail on twitter and said they should have been open. They gave me the phone number to try but it just rang once and then went to white noise (like it should have been an answering machine message but had been erased).

    I visited the station again @ 4.30pm on Friday - still closed. Some track workers arrived when I was leaving. They didn't know anything but said "maybe they're on holidays and there's no staff cover".

    I have figured out that the €19.90 is the cheapest deal for my needs and that I can purchase it from the vending machine. Still don't know if it activates on first use or immediately when purchased from a machine but I think I 'll just buy it tomorrow anyway.

    So thanks again Victor, forums and twitter win again for info.


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