Ultra-commuters: Boyle to Dublin by train?

NJto.IE

I'll be going from my house in Boyle to class in Dublin. It's about 2 hours 30 minutes by train.
I've had to do that commute while living in Japan, but it was a quiet express train with only 2 stops on the way. I've done the PATH train into NYC from NJ and it is a pain. Too many stops, uncomfortable seats and a lot of noise.

I own the house outright with no mortgage or rent to pay, if you're wondering why I don't just move to Dublin.

L1011

Are you going to be able to make the 17:05 service? If not, the hanging around for the 19:05 is going to be torturous over time.

The fares, even on Taxsaver, are eyewatering too.

NJto.IE

L1011 wrote: »

Are you going to be able to make the 17:05 service? If not, the hanging around for the 19:05 is going to be torturous over time.

The fares, even on Taxsaver, are eyewatering too.

No, I'm not going to make the 17:05 service.

I was hoping for a big discount with a monthly or yearly pass. Looks like I'm not going to get that.

L1011

NJto.IE wrote: »

No, I'm not going to make the 17:05 service.

I was hoping for a big discount with a monthly or yearly pass. Looks like I'm not going to get that.

Yearly is about 4k (that's an estimate probably on the low side, from the monthly being about 800) I believe - which is about a third of what singles every day each way would be. Taxsaver will half that if you're earning enough to pay higher rate tax, or take ~25% off otherwise.

If you're getting the 19:05 service you're presumably going to have an hour or more to kill in Dublin every evening; that could be quite hard to get used to.

NJto.IE

Thank you for the reply. I think the price alone is very disconcerting. I'll have to think about changing my plans.

lucernarian

NJto.IE wrote: »

I'll be going from my house in Boyle to class in Dublin. It's about 2 hours 30 minutes by train.
I've had to do that commute while living in Japan, but it was a quiet express train with only 2 stops on the way. I've done the PATH train into NYC from NJ and it is a pain. Too many stops, uncomfortable seats and a lot of noise.

I own the house outright with no mortgage or rent to pay, if you're wondering why I don't just move to Dublin.

You lived in three different countries where you had lengthy commutes?! You must be a glutton for punishment :pac:


As an aside, perhaps renting out the house you own outright and moving to a small apartment near Dublin might make more sense. The trains to Sligo usually are ICRs so there would be electric sockets beside every seat. As for whether it's possible to begin with... If you don't have much else to be doing in the evenings, have a lowish level of class time, possibly not needing to go to dublin 5 days out of 7, with good internet at home that can allow you to look up online resources etc. then I say, go for it! Though for such a long distance, I wouldn't like the costs. I mean, €526 monthly for students from Boyle to Dublin?! I think it would require specific circumstances for it to be worth it and I imagine you could find roomshares *somewhere* within the M50 that you could cycle to wherever you study in Dublin, for €500.

loyatemu

Annual all-services ticket is 4,670.00, so it won't be more than that - are you a student?

Aard

2.5 hours each way? Yikes. Why not rent out your Boyle property to cover costs?

It seems like an exercise in life-ruining if you ask me!

NJto.IE

loyatemu wrote: »

Annual all-services ticket is 4,670.00, so it won't be more than that - are you a student?

Yes, I'm on a very tight budget and that would be 20% of my my after tax income. I'll have to think of other arrangements.

L1011

NJto.IE wrote: »

Yes, I'm on a very tight budget and that would be 20% of my my after tax income. I'll have to think of other arrangements.

Unless your employer is insane, you'll be able to buy it from pre-tax income (taxsaver) but its still going to be quite significantly dear at that income level.

Jem72

The only cheaper way of doing that commute would be by bus but it would be a lot less comfortable and even slower. I've been doing Edgeworthstown to Dublin city centre 4 days a week for 12 years and that distance is just about manageable long-term by mixing between the 17:05 and the 19:05. Over the years, there have been a couple of people commuting from Carrick but they never lasted terribly long. For me personally, I'd probably last a year or so doing Boyle to the City Centre if I could make the 17:05 back. The 19:05 is a hard slog (it can be quite noisy particularly on a Friday) and it is almost always about 10 minutes late after Killucan.

NJto.IE

L1011 wrote: »

Unless your employer is insane, you'll be able to buy it from pre-tax income (taxsaver) but its still going to be quite significantly dear at that income level.

Jem72 wrote: »

The only cheaper way of doing that commute would be by bus but it would be a lot less comfortable and even slower. I've been doing Edgeworthstown to Dublin city centre 4 days a week for 12 years and that distance is just about manageable long-term by mixing between the 17:05 and the 19:05. Over the years, there have been a couple of people commuting from Carrick but they never lasted terribly long. For me personally, I'd probably last a year or so doing Boyle to the City Centre if I could make the 17:05 back. The 19:05 is a hard slog (it can be quite noisy particularly on a Friday) and it is almost always about 10 minutes late after Killucan.

Thank you both for the advice.

NJto.IE

lucernarian wrote: »

You lived in three different countries where you had lengthy commutes?! You must be a glutton for punishment :pac:


As an aside, perhaps renting out the house you own outright and moving to a small apartment near Dublin might make more sense. The trains to Sligo usually are ICRs so there would be electric sockets beside every seat. As for whether it's possible to begin with... If you don't have much else to be doing in the evenings, have a lowish level of class time, possibly not needing to go to dublin 5 days out of 7, with good internet at home that can allow you to look up online resources etc. then I say, go for it! Though for such a long distance, I wouldn't like the costs. I mean, €526 monthly for students from Boyle to Dublin?! I think it would require specific circumstances for it to be worth it and I imagine you could find roomshares *somewhere* within the M50 that you could cycle to wherever you study in Dublin, for €500.

Aard wrote: »

2.5 hours each way? Yikes. Why not rent out your Boyle property to cover costs?

It seems like an exercise in life-ruining if you ask me!

I would worry about not finding a renter in time for the beginning of the school year. I had an Englishwoman renting for 3 years but now the place has sat empty for the last 2 years.

I think I'll have to find an IT closer to Boyle.

Teyla Emmagan

Could you do open university?

NJto.IE

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Could you do open university?

I can't do open university, unfortunately. Not only do I dislike online courses, but I would not get the funding for it.

n97 mini

Anything in IT Sligo? It's not far from Boyle.

NJto.IE

n97 mini wrote: »

Anything in IT Sligo? It's not far from Boyle.

IT Sligo is where I'm looking at next. They have nothing for Telecomms level 6 or 7 though.

n97 mini

Is there a telecoms course in Athlone IT? I'd be surprised if not, as Ericsson have been in Athlone for a long time.

Aard

Seems like a lot of hardship just for a Level 6/7 tbh.

NJto.IE

Aard wrote: »

Seems like a lot of hardship just for a Level 6/7 tbh.

I'll only be doing that for a year or two before going on to a master's program more to my liking.

endacl

NJto.IE wrote: »

Yes, I'm on a very tight budget and that would be 20% of my my after tax income. I'll have to think of other arrangements.

Are those classes, or something similar, available elsewhere? Sligo IT would be a short hop?

NJto.IE

endacl wrote: »

Are those classes, or something similar, available elsewhere? Sligo IT would be a short hop?

Sligo, no. I've contracted Eircom and Broadbandcareers, for clarification. Neither have replied. It would be great to find a master list of what courses are held where, I've used a few custom .ie search engines and nothing has come up.

NJto.IE

I have posted a question in that section, hopefully I'll get a response.

Thanks to everyone who was kind enough to reply.

L1011

Masters generally require a level 8, as an aside.

NJto.IE

L1011 wrote: »

Masters generally require a level 8, as an aside.

I have one. Not many employers looking to interview people with my degree. I now manage a restaurant.
I figure I'd learn a trade.

n97 mini

If you get a telecommunications qualification its not likely you'll find work close to Boyle. I'd say you'll be looking at Athlone (which only has Ericsson) or Dublin. Maybe Galway.

OTOH there are plenty of tourism related industries in the west. Boyle wouldn't be known for restaurants but you don't have to travel too far to find tourist spots. Even Carrick-on-Shannon.

NJto.IE

n97 mini wrote: »

If you get a telecommunications qualification its not likely you'll find work close to Boyle. I'd say you'll be looking at Athlone (which only has Ericsson) or Dublin. Maybe Galway.

OTOH there are plenty of tourism related industries in the west. Boyle wouldn't be known for restaurants but you don't have to travel too far to find tourist spots. Even Carrick-on-Shannon.

I'm fine with going anywhere. UK, Australia, New Zealand etc. it doesn't matter if I'm hired. Thanks for the information.

BrianBoru00

If you're well organised though - you could use the commute time to study / do assignments meaning that you only need to unwind and relax for a couple of hours when you arrive home.

NJto.IE

BrianBoru00 wrote: »

If you're well organised though - you could use the commute time to study / do assignments meaning that you only need to unwind and relax for a couple of hours when you arrive home.

That's true, I used to do that a lot in Japan.