Papers Today

// Dublin to Cork flight cheaper than rail fare

Irish Rail passengers are being charged more to travel between cities than it costs to fly. Commuters can expect to pay up to €71 midweek for a return ticket from Dublin's Heuston station to Cork, while Ryanair charges €10 return for flights. Even Aer Arann is cheaper, charging €48 for a return trip.

A train journey from Dublin to Cork takes 2hrs and 50 mins, while a flight lasts 55minutes.

A train ticket from Galway to Dublin was €35 last week, while a flight with Aer Arann was €31.99. If the journey was booked on the internet, the rail passenger could save €10. A train to Galway takes 2hr and 40 mins while a flight lasts 45 minutes.

Passengers can book flights abroad for less than internal train journeys. Last week return flights to London, Glasgow or Edinburgh were €25 or less.

A return flight to Madrid with Ryanair was €51 return including taxes and charges, €20 less than the Cork rail fare.

Irishrail.ie does advertise one-way fares for a special price of €10, but critics argue the number of such offers is low. Rail users who do not book online can expect to be charged more when they buy tickets at stations. Last week Heuston quoted a price of €66 one-way to Cork, €50 to Limerick and €35 to Galway.

Barry Kenny, for Irish Rail, defended the pricing structure and said that most rail fares on the website are priced between €10 to €15 for the Limerick and Galway services. On the Cork route, there are fares of €20 or less, he said.

"By comparison with other European railways, we are consistently in the lower third in terms of fares, and are significantly lower than fares in Britain, a privatised network," he said.

Kenny argued that comparison with airlines was unfair as Irish Rail does not charge for bags, use of credit cards or other "so-called taxes and charges".

"We also do not take your entire fare if you have to cancel your booking for any reason. We have an 80% refund, even on our cheapest fares, if you cancel up to the day before travel, and will give a 50% refund if you cancel on the day."

Kenny said single fares are always cheaper online than at stations, and this is standard practice in the industry.

Dermott Jewell, the chief executive of the Consumers' Association, said that the new reality of low prices has "not got through to Irish Rail and the rest of the public transport section in Ireland". He said competition in rail services may be needed to reduce fares.

Mark Gleeson, a spokesman for Rail Users Ireland, said Irish rail fares were "ridiculous" and finding cheaper deals was difficult. "Discounts are available, it's just that they are incredibly hard to find," he said.

Gleeson defended aspects of Iarnrod Eireann's service, agreeing that if passengers were willing to travel at off-peak times, they could get good value.
Stephen Dunne
Sunday Times 7.02.10