Rail Fares on Website

foggy_lad · 01-01-2012 5:18pm #1

Irish Rail show a very small sample of their many intercity fares on their website which can leave passengers confused and in favour of getting the bus, they show only 15 separate intercity fares(to/from Dublin only)

http://new.irishrail.ie/index.jsp?p=118&n=197

But on the same page the same company show 7 different fares for their latest failure the western rail corridor!

Why dont they dedicate the space on the page to giving fare information for journeys people want to make? Why dont they have much more comprehensive fares information on the most used routes including commuter routes?

noelfirl · 01-01-2012 6:08pm

foggy_lad wrote: »

But on the same page the same company show 7 different fares for their latest failure the western rail corridor!

I wouldn't really blame them for trying to market the white elephant that was quite literally foisted upon them.

Why dont they dedicate the space on the page to giving fare information for journeys people want to make?

With due respect to the fact that the network is designed that way, are journeys to and from Dublin not the ones most people make?

Why dont they have much more comprehensive fares information on the most used routes including commuter routes?

The commuter routes have their own seperate page! It's under "Commuter fares", on the menu on the left.

foggy_lad · 01-01-2012 6:33pm

noelfirl wrote: »

I wouldn't really blame them for trying to market the white elephant that was quite literally foisted upon them.

With due respect to the fact that the network is designed that way, are journeys to and from Dublin not the ones most people make?

The commuter routes have their own seperate page! It's under "Commuter fares", on the menu on the left.

Indeed commuters do have their own fares page with only a small number of journeys shown to/from Dublin, and commuters seem to be penalised for travelling on a Friday and Sunday. Why penalise workers for going to work on Friday?

My point is more that all the fares listed are from/to Dublin and do not take into account anyone travelling outside of the terminal stations, much like Irish rails punctuality records.

I can only see fares from Carlow to Dublin but not from Carlow to any other stop on the Dublin-Waterford line or indeed to any other station in the country. This in 2012 seems very backward for a railway company and the recent improvements in the website should have included a Fare-finder like is available on the Bus Éireann site with a full list of walk-up and online fares from any station to any other station in the country.

Bus Éireann have thousands more destinations and are able to do what IRish Rail has never been able to master and that is to inform their customers of the fares.

noelfirl · 01-01-2012 6:44pm

Iarnród &#201 wrote: »

The best way to find the cheapest Intercity fare is to use the Journey Planner above. Just enter your travel requirements into the 'From' and 'To' fields, select your date(s) of travel and click 'Go'. The table below shows a sample of our most popular Intercity regular fares available from ticket offices.

^^^

The journey planner is in effect a fare planner and is advertised as such right there. It may not include walk up fares, but to be frank IMO I don't consider that to be that important. Anyone able to go online will be capable of using the journey planner and thus for the most part be capable of making a cheaper online booking. Anyone unable to go online or without means of paying for an online booking can still contact their local station, whom I'm presuming during opening hours can handle walk up fare enquiries.

foggy_lad · 01-01-2012 6:48pm

noelfirl wrote: »

^^^

The journey planner is in effect a fare planner and is advertised as such right there. It may not include walk up fares, but to be frank IMO I don't consider that to be that important. Anyone able to go online will be capable of using the journey planner and thus for the most part be capable of making a cheaper online booking. Anyone unable to go online or without means of paying for an online booking can still contact their local station, whom I'm presuming during opening hours can handle walk up fare enquiries.

OK, but there can be a massive difference(or so we are told) between the online fares and the normal single/return fares like there are some €20 return online fares Dublin to Cork but the walk up fare is over €70 so the planner is less than accurate in most situations and is not adequate given the amount of money ploughed into Irish Rail over the Years!

Also the online journey planner is for finding train times and Purchasing tickets online but if the allocation of online tickets has been sold you will not be able to find out the real or online fare for the journey.

woodseb · 02-01-2012 1:57pm

foggy_lad wrote: »

Also the online journey planner is for finding train times and Purchasing tickets online but if the allocation of online tickets has been sold you will not be able to find out the real or online fare for the journey.

that's true, i travelled from edgeworthstown to connolly yesterday and couldn't find anywhere to tell me what the fare would cost before i got on the train, nor could i book the train online or pay at the station before i got on.

So what happened is that i got on the train and at connolly and i was getting straight on the dart after so never met a ticket inspector at any stage. To buy a ticket i would have had to find someone at the gate and then be told what fare i would have to pay. So i took the easier option of just carrying on with my journey without paying as 90%+ of people would do

LXFlyer · 02-01-2012 4:31pm

woodseb wrote: »

that's true, i travelled from edgeworthstown to connolly yesterday and couldn't find anywhere to tell me what the fare would cost before i got on the train, nor could i book the train online or pay at the station before i got on.

So what happened is that i got on the train and at connolly and i was getting straight on the dart after so never met a ticket inspector at any stage. To buy a ticket i would have had to find someone at the gate and then be told what fare i would have to pay. So i took the easier option of just carrying on with my journey without paying as 90%+ of people would do

I would fervently hope that is NOT what 90% of people would do, as you are advocating theft or fraud. I would like to think 90% of people are honest.

The rule is that if you are unable to buy a ticket at your boarding station or on board the train, then you must do so at the first possible location which in your case was Connolly.

LXFlyer · 02-01-2012 4:55pm

Frankly the real issue is the simplification of the rail fares that are available. There are a myriad of fare options available in many cases apart from the standard fares matrix, which often involve large discounts to encourage travel.

Putting the current full range of fares available from booking office onto the website would be quite confusing as some of the fares are time specific.

Reading the RUI website, there ought to be some simplification later this year which may facilitate this.

woodseb · 02-01-2012 5:17pm

lxflyer wrote: »

I would fervently hope that is NOT what 90% of people would do, as you are advocating theft or fraud. I would like to think 90% of people are honest.

The rule is that if you are unable to buy a ticket at your boarding station or on board the train, then you must do so at the first possible location which in your case was Connolly.

i think you are being naive as to what most people would do. I'm aware of the rule but the issue is that irish rail as a commercial enterprise are making it difficult for people to a) find out the price of a ticket b) pay for said ticket

i don't think any other business would be run like this, accusing its customers of theft and fraud when the company haven't even tried to meet them halfway to provide information or collect the fare.

I would have paid the fare online, or at a ticket machine at the station i boarded, or at a ticket office when boarding but asking me to leave the station and seek someone to pay the fare to and miss the next Dart is a step too far. Regardless of the regulations, i have a clear consience doing that

Losty Dublin · 02-01-2012 6:06pm

woodseb wrote: »

that's true, i travelled from edgeworthstown to connolly yesterday and couldn't find anywhere to tell me what the fare would cost before i got on the train, nor could i book the train online or pay at the station before i got on.

Is there not a ticket machine at the station?

LXFlyer · 02-01-2012 6:33pm

woodseb wrote: »

i think you are being naive as to what most people would do. I'm aware of the rule but the issue is that irish rail as a commercial enterprise are making it difficult for people to a) find out the price of a ticket b) pay for said ticket

i don't think any other business would be run like this, accusing its customers of theft and fraud when the company haven't even tried to meet them halfway to provide information or collect the fare.

I would have paid the fare online, or at a ticket machine at the station i boarded, or at a ticket office when boarding but asking me to leave the station and seek someone to pay the fare to and miss the next Dart is a step too far. Regardless of the regulations, i have a clear consience doing that

Perhaps I am being naive, but I would like to think that I am right.

You are admitting that you knew the rule, and frankly that is the equivalent of theft which is not acceptable.

foggy_lad · 02-01-2012 6:42pm

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Is there not a ticket machine at the station?

No use if it is broken or unable to take notes or if the passenger cant read or is visually impaired.

Also there are a number of stations without ticket machines but that information has only recently been removed from the website, replaced by some rubbish about instructional videos which are in production.

There is no obligation on any passenger to use any ticket machine where the booking office is closed/unmanned!

LXFlyer · 02-01-2012 6:46pm

The new Irish Rail website states that there is no vending machine at Edgeworthstown - each station page lists the facilities available and the booking office hours.

From the RUI website there is an acknowledgement from IE that there is a dire need to install TVMs at several stations on the Sligo line, Edgeworthstown and Carrick-on-Shannon being two that spring to mind and that these will be tackled as a priority in 2012.

foggy_lad · 02-01-2012 6:55pm

lxflyer wrote: »

The new Irish Rail website states that there is no vending machine at Edgeworthstown - each station page lists the facilities available and the booking office hours.

From the RUI website there is an acknowledgement from IE that there is a dire need to install TVMs at several stations on the Sligo line, Edgeworthstown and Carrick-on-Shannon being two that spring to mind and that these will be tackled as a priority in 2012.

The same site says Carlow station is wheelchair accessible and has accessible toilets so I would not trust any information on the Irish Rail website.

Losty Dublin · 02-01-2012 7:01pm

foggy_lad wrote: »

No use if it is broken or unable to take notes or if the passenger cant read or is visually impaired.

Or if ignorant and misinformed people who know nothing about what they are talking are offering advise to people to not to use them.

foggy_lad wrote: »

Also there are a number of stations without ticket machines but that information has only recently been removed from the website, replaced by some rubbish about instructional videos which are in production.

There is no obligation on any passenger to use any ticket machine where the booking office is closed/unmanned!

There are both laws and convictions to say otherwise but to tell you otherwise is wasting energy given that .

LXFlyer · 02-01-2012 7:06pm

foggy_lad wrote: »

The same site says Carlow station is wheelchair accessible and has accessible toilets so I would not trust any information on the Irish Rail website.

Well have you provided that feedback to them as they've asked people to do?

The more observations they get the better the website will be.

woodseb · 02-01-2012 7:19pm

lxflyer wrote: »

The new Irish Rail website states that there is no vending machine at Edgeworthstown - each station page lists the facilities available and the booking office hours.

From the RUI website there is an acknowledgement from IE that there is a dire need to install TVMs at several stations on the Sligo line, Edgeworthstown and Carrick-on-Shannon being two that spring to mind and that these will be tackled as a priority in 2012.

The new website ? As opposed to the current one that any user would use to find relevant info? Is there any more hoops that irishrail would like me to jump through to find simple information?

Whether I should have bought a ticket at Connolly is not at issue, the regs are clear in that respect. My point was always that irishrail make it so difficult. Fact is it was only at the end of my journey that I could find out how much I owed and that is unacceptable. What if I was travelling on a budget?

foggy_lad · 02-01-2012 7:25pm

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Or if ignorant and misinformed people who know nothing about what they are talking are offering advise to people to not to use them.

There are both laws and convictions to say otherwise but to tell you otherwise is wasting energy given that .

And a happy new year to you too!

lxflyer wrote: »

Well have you provided that feedback to them as they've asked people to do?

The more observations they get the better the website will be.

I have indeed, but the latest plan is to divert all passengers through the toilet area into the booking office and then onto the platform down a large step, even those in wheelchairs!

The people dreaming up these hair-brained plans must never have visited or even seen pictures or plans of Carlow station:)

LXFlyer · 02-01-2012 7:31pm

woodseb wrote: »

The new website ? As opposed to the current one that any user would use to find relevant info? Is there any more hoops that irishrail would like me to jump through to find simple information?

Whether I should have bought a ticket at Connolly is not at issue, the regs are clear in that respect. My point was always that irishrail make it so difficult. Fact is it was only at the end of my journey that I could find out how much I owed and that is unacceptable. What if I was travelling on a budget?

The new website has only just being launched and is still in test phase. It is a vast improvement on the current model.

I don't disagree regarding the level of information, but until the range of tickets are simplified it would frankly be far too confusing to publish the full range of tickets available - there are far too many of them.

Losty Dublin · 02-01-2012 7:31pm

woodseb wrote: »

The new website ? As opposed to the current one that any user would use to find relevant info? Is there any more hoops that irishrail would like me to jump through to find simple information?

Whether I should have bought a ticket at Connolly is not at issue, the regs are clear in that respect. My point was always that irishrail make it so difficult. Fact is it was only at the end of my journey that I could find out how much I owed and that is unacceptable. What if I was travelling on a budget?

If you are on the www.irishrail.ie site, it has a big banner page asking people to look at it. And on it is this page which shows you the price you'd have had to pay.

http://new.irishrail.ie/index.jsp?p=118&n=199

While the old site hasn't got a price up to and from Edgeworthstown, it does has the price up from Sligo and Carraig on Shannon so you could reasonably assume that it would have at least cost you that much.

http://www.irishrail.ie/your_ticket/fares_enquiries.asp

Of course, none of this is relevant to the fact that you chose to not pay your fare to Dublin as distinct to not being able to pay your fare there

woodseb · 02-01-2012 7:39pm

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Of course, none of this is relevant to the fact that you chose to not pay your fare to Dublin as distinct to not being able to pay your fare there

At 29.50 one way, I think I made the right choice

Which just illustrates my point as I was guessing it was around 15 euro. Had I known the price I would have got the bus!

foggy_lad · 02-01-2012 9:55pm

woodseb wrote: »

At 29.50 one way, I think I made the right choice

Which just illustrates my point as I was guessing it was around 15 euro. Had I known the price I would have got the bus!

Is that why Irish rail are so secretive about their fares?

Other companies throughout the world can advertise their fares from one stop to another but Irish Rail have a problem with this very basic part of the operation.

Mountjoy Mugger · 24-01-2012 4:17pm

Issues booking today.

I've tried a couple of browsers and methods, but after I select a journey from Heuston to Castlebar travelling Friday and returning Saturday next, I get greeted with the following message each time:

It appears you have not selected a Journey.

Please ensure you have selected an Origin and a Destination from the Journey Planner.

It's doing my head in!

EDIT: Just after being on the phone to IR. It's a problem their end.

Victor · 25-01-2012 3:38am

foggy_lad wrote: »

The same site says Carlow station is wheelchair accessible and has accessible toilets so I would not trust any information on the Irish Rail website.

There is a commitment to review the station information pages.

foggy_lad · 25-01-2012 4:21am

Victor wrote: »

There is a commitment to review the station information pages.

That is good to hear but the issue with stations like Carlow is a little more complex. There is an accessible door but it is kept locked.

Currently you must walk through to the platform instead of going into the toilets and enter the booking office from the platform via a large step, even when the accessible door is opened the plan is to close off the walk through onto the platform and force all traffic through the toilets and waiting room and booking office and then down the step, so not accessible!

A lot of money has been spent on accessibility for a station which still has no way of getting to platform two apart from the barrow crossing which has been banned from use by management or a taxi to the next accessible station and where the accessible facilities are kept locked away out of reach of the disabled!

Mountjoy Mugger · 25-01-2012 1:23pm

No need to derail the thread!

I told ya · 29-07-2021 4:25pm

Probably off topic.

I've purchased a ticket online for Maynooth to Mullingar. I intend to get the train from Castleknock to Maynooth using my Leap card. My question is, can I print the ticket at Castleknock while I'm waiting or do I have to print it at Maynooth? ie must it be printed at the departure station only?

TIA

Jamie2k9 · 29-07-2021 9:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117679230#Comment_117679230

Yes, tickets can be printed from any TMV.

Rail Fares on Website

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