Iarnród Éireann is to introduce rail fare and zonal adjustments from Monday, bringing major changes for commuters, particularly in the northeast of the country.
The company said the adjustments are being introduced as part of the National Transport Authority’s latest “fares determination”.
The announcement will result in significant changes, particularly in the greater Dublin area, and for those who tag on and off with Leap Cards.
A new Transport for Ireland zonal structure will be introduced.
The new Dublin Commuter Zone (DCZ) will replace the Short Hop Zone and will extend significantly further than the Short Hop Zone (SHZ).
The DCZ is broken down into Dublin City Zone 1, and then Zones 2, 3 and 4, based on the distance from the city centre.
As well as changes to fares, this means that Leap Cards will be valid over a wider area.
- Northern Commuter: DCZ will increase from former SHZ limit of Balbriggan to include Gormanston, Laytown and Drogheda.
- Western Commuter: DCZ will increase from former SHZ limit of Kilcock to include Enfield.
- South Western Commuter: DCZ will increase from former SHZ limit of Sallins & Naas to include Newbridge and Kildare.
- South Eastern Commuter: DCZ will increase from former SHZ limit of Kilcoole to include Wicklow and Rathdrum.
Meanwhile, Iarnród Éireann has said that fares for many journeys will also change from Monday.
The changes will apply across adult, young adult/student and child fares.
- Single (Leap and cash) and day return (cash only) fares for journeys starting or ending in Dublin Commuter Zone 3 and 4 will be cut, as will monthly and annual ticket prices for Zone 3 and 4 upon next renewal.
- Reduced fares to/from Drogheda, Laytown, Enfield, Newbridge, Kildare, Wicklow and Rathdrum.
- Single (Leap and cash) and day return (cash only) fares for journeys starting or ending in Dublin Commuter Zone 2 will be either increased or reduced, as will monthly and annual ticket prices for Zone 2 upon next renewal.
- Increases between Dublin and Balbriggan, Skerries, Kilcock, Sallins & Naas, Greystones and Kilcoole, as well as some other intermediate journeys.
There will also be reductions between Dublin and Gormanston.
Single (Leap and cash) and day return (cash only) fares for all journeys within Dublin City Zone 1 will be unchanged, as will monthly and annual ticket prices.
The daily and weekly Leap cap applies to the Dublin City Zone only.
Iarnród Éireann said the full details of the changes can be found on its website.
The rail operator added that because the Dublin Commuter Zone is now larger, the maximum Leap Card fare at tag-on will be higher for all users.
- Adult Leap maximum tag-on will rise from €4 to €7.50.
- Student/young adult maximum tag-on will go from €2 to €3.75.
- Child maximum tag-on will increase from 65c to €3.75.
This includes both Dublin and Cork Leap Card customers. While Cork area fares remain unchanged, the Leap touch-on maximum fare will increase.
As a result, all Leap Card customers are reminded to tag-off at the end of their journey to ensure they are charged the correct price.
A number of other changes are also being introduced on Monday.
The Intercity Luas Add on for cross-city journeys (eg arriving to Heuston, and continuing to Luas city centre stops) for both single journeys and monthly/annual tickets will reduce to zero.
The add-on cost for this is currently €1.40 single, €32 monthly or €320 annually.
For adult fares, the minimum balance on Leap Card will be €1 for Dublin City Zone journeys, and €2.50 for Dublin Commuter Zone 2, 3 and 4 journeys.
For young adults and children, the minimum balance on Leap Card is 1 cent.
A number of ticket types are to discontinued including adult, student and child weekly and monthly tickets, and off-peak fares from Drogheda, Laytown, Gormanston, Newbridge and Kildare.
Iarnród Éireann said that it will host a number of webinars for commuters to share information about the changes and answer queries.
Full details on the new TFI zonal structure and the changes for other TFI operators can be found on the TFI website.
