Iarnród Éireann has introduced a new rail fare pricing structure that will see some passengers pay less for their journey and others pay more.
The old Short Hop Zone, which previously did not stretch further than Balbriggan, Kilcock, Sallins & Naas and Kilcoole, has now been extended to a 50km ring around Dublin.
The newly-created Dublin Commuter Zone now encompasses the likes of Drogheda, Co Louth, Enfield, Co Meath, Kildare town, and Rathdrum, Co Wicklow.
The new zone a person's departure and arrival station fall into will determine whether their fare will increase or decrease.
For example, a single cash fare for an adult travelling from Drogheda to Connolly Station in Dublin previously cost €11.95.
Now, the cost of that journey has almost halved to €6, provided the person is using a Leap Card to pay their fare.
Passengers travelling between Enfield and Connolly Station will also benefit from the same fare reduction.
A single journey fare for an adult travelling from Kildare town or Rathdrum to Dublin used to cost €11.95 and €13.55 respectively, but now both fares will reduce to €7.50 if the person uses a Leap Card.
There will also be varying levels of reductions for child, young adult and student Leap Card holders.
Passengers who do not have a Leap Card and prefer to pay for their fare in cash via a ticket machine or online will also benefit from the fare reductions but to a lesser extent.
However, the fares for certain journeys will increase.
An adult travelling from Skerries or Balbriggan to Connolly Station using a Leap Card used to pay €3 but will now pay €3.90.
The cash fare for this journey was €3.90 but has now increased to €5.10 - an increase of over 30%.
Commuters travelling from Sallins or Greystones to Dublin Connolly will face the same increases.
Multi-operator weekly (€32 for an interim period) and monthly (€140) tickets for such a journey will remain the same.
The old rail-only weekly and monthly tickets have been scrapped as part of the changes.
This means a person who previously paid €29.60 for a rail-only weekly ticket will now have to pay €32 for an equivalent multi-operator weekly ticket.
A person who previously paid €115 for a rail-only monthly ticket will now have to pay €140 for an equivalent multi-operator monthly ticket.
However, the weekly and monthly multi-operator ticket prices for many other journeys will come down in price.
All monthly and weekly tickets are now only available via Leap Card and will have to be purchased through the TFI Leap Top-Up App.
The new zonal system being introduced will also bring the Leap Card tap-on and tap-off system to certain stations for the very first time.
These stations include Drogheda, Laytown, Gormanston, Enfield, Kildare, Newbridge, Wicklow and Rathdrum.
This will allow rail users at these stations to pay for their journey using the balance in the 'e-purse’ attached to their card, which was not previously possible.
The Intercity Luas Add-On for cross-city journeys (for example, someone who arrives at Heuston Station and wants to take the Luas to Dublin city centre) for both single journeys and monthly/annual tickets has been reduced to zero.
The add-on cost for this was previously €1.40 single, €32 monthly or €320 annually.
Iarnród Éireann has said the main message for commuters is three-fold:
- Use a Leap Card to avail of the cheapest fares
- Have enough credit on your card (you won’t need more than €7.50 for any one adult journey within the new Dublin Commuter Zone)
- Don’t forget to tap-off when you reach your destination to make sure you are not overcharged
An Adult Leap Card can be purchased at over 2,000 TFI agents across the country or at ticket vending machines located at some train stations.
More information regarding today’s travel zone adjustments and the resultant fare changes can be found on the Iarnród Éireann website.
