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Trying to find information on Irish Rail website - help needed!

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  • 20-03-2021 10:54am
    #1
    Sue de Nimes
    Registered Users Posts: 151 ✭✭


    My wife and I are returning to Ireland from the UK. We need to be closer to her elderly mother in Westmeath and we are looking at buying a house in either Westmeath or one of the surrounding counties.

    Neither of us drive (at the moment) but we intend to buy a car and learn to drive ASAP. In the meantime, public transport is important for us and we have been looking at train information. Unfortunately, the Irish Rail website is as bad as it was when we left Ireland nearly 20 years ago. Trying to find information can be impossible sometimes.

    I want to find out the cost of train fares. From what I can make out the only way to get cheaper train fares is with a Leap card on Dublin or Cork commuter services. I have not been able to find out what is classed as a Dublin commuter service and no matter of searching on their website has been a help.

    Can anyone point me in the direction of where I can find this?


Comments

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    #2
    Del.Monte
    Registered Users Posts: 12,363 ✭✭✭✭Del.Monte


    Well. it's only 20 years since you left Ireland - do you really expect CIE to have sorted out their website? When God made time, he made plenty of it. Anyway, sorry I can't help you but no doubt someone will be along to supply the required information shortly. :)

    ****



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    #3
    markpb
    Registered Users Posts: 9,250 ✭✭✭markpb


    This page might be helpful: https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/rail-fares-and-tickets/fares-info/dart-and-short-hop-zone


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    #4
    student7890
    Registered Users Posts: 248 ✭✭student7890


    Dart and Commuter rail info here

    Fare finder for Dublin here

    Leapcard top-up and use here

    Beam me up Scotty.



  • Options
    #5
    Sue de Nimes
    Registered Users Posts: 151 ✭✭Sue de Nimes


    student7890 wrote: »
    Dart and Commuter rail info here

    Fare finder for Dublin here

    Leapcard top-up and use here

    Thanks for those links, unfortunately, it required quite a bit of jumping around to find the information.

    This link HERE suggests that trains to places like Dundalk, Longford and Portlaoise are classed as Dublin commuter lines.

    This link HERE
    mentions fares within individual zones, but gives no information as to what those zones are.

    This link HERE states that "TFI Leap Card can be used on DART and commuter services in Dublin and Cork."

    Which suggests that it can only be used on trains that are actually in Dublin.

    Finally came to this link HERE
    which says "leap can TFI Leap Card can be used to pay for travel in Dublin and its surrounding counties on the following services:........All DART & Commuter Rail services within the Dublin area “Short-Hop zone”"

    Thanks for the links guys. Such a shame that this information isn't easier to find, and written in a way that isn't so ambigious.


  • Options
    #6
    Vic_08
    Registered Users Posts: 3,041 ✭✭✭Vic_08


    Sue de Nimes wrote: »
    Thanks for those links, unfortunately, it required quite a bit of jumping around to find the information.

    This link HERE suggests that trains to places like Dundalk, Longford and Portlaoise are classed as Dublin commuter lines.

    This link HERE
    mentions fares within individual zones, but gives no information as to what those zones are.

    This link HERE states that "TFI Leap Card can be used on DART and commuter services in Dublin and Cork."

    Which suggests that it can only be used on trains that are actually in Dublin.

    Finally came to this link HERE
    which says "leap can TFI Leap Card can be used to pay for travel in Dublin and its surrounding counties on the following services:........All DART & Commuter Rail services within the Dublin area “Short-Hop zone”"

    Thanks for the links guys. Such a shame that this information isn't easier to find, and written in a way that isn't so ambigious.

    markpb gave you the direct link with map from the Irishrail website.

    If you said what town/s rather than county/s you need transport for then you might get better advice.


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  • Options
    #7
    Sue de Nimes
    Registered Users Posts: 151 ✭✭Sue de Nimes


    Vic_08 wrote: »
    markpb gave you the direct link with map from the Irishrail website.

    If you said what town/s rather than county/s you need transport for then you might get better advice.

    I was trying to explain the information on that map appears contradictory to information elsewhere on the same site.


  • Options
    #8
    Hilly Bill
    Registered Users Posts: 6,039 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    Sue de Nimes wrote: »
    My wife and I are returning to Ireland from the UK. We need to be closer to her elderly mother in Westmeath and we are looking at buying a house in either Westmeath or one of the surrounding counties.

    Neither of us drive (at the moment) but we intend to buy a car and learn to drive ASAP. In the meantime, public transport is important for us and we have been looking at train information. Unfortunately, the Irish Rail website is as bad as it was when we left Ireland nearly 20 years ago. Trying to find information can be impossible sometimes.

    I want to find out the cost of train fares. From what I can make out the only way to get cheaper train fares is with a Leap card on Dublin or Cork commuter services. I have not been able to find out what is classed as a Dublin commuter service and no matter of searching on their website has been a help.

    Can anyone point me in the direction of where I can find this?

    It's not the website. All the info is there for you . Leap card is valid in the short hop zone. .if you are in westmeath then kilcock is the limit on that line.and sallins and naas on the athlone line. The leap card wont cover you outside of those limits if you plan on commuting in and out of Dublin from the athlone area.


  • Options
    #9
    91wx763
    Registered Users Posts: 522 ✭✭✭91wx763


    Hilly Bill wrote: »
    It's not the website. All the info is there for you . Leap card is valid in the short hop zone. .if you are in westmeath then kilcock is the limit on that line.and sallins and naas on the athlone line. The leap card wont cover you outside of those limits if you plan on commuting in and out of Dublin from the athlone area.

    @Hilly Bill, a few questions you might know the answer to-

    are "split tickets" still outlawed and how could you tap in in Kilcock without the train leaving you behind and would a combination of tickets be cheaper anyway ?


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    #10
    Hilly Bill
    Registered Users Posts: 6,039 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    Yep , you need to buy a ticket straight through.


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    #11
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,651 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    It'd make more sense to fix any cases where a split ticket saves money instead of banning it - I've frequently done it in the UK, primarily with a football ticket travel pass that had a boundary and buying a ticket to/from the edge station only; but also on longer cross country trips. It's allowed there though


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    #12
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,245 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    See also https://www.taxsaver.ie/


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