The price of a train ticket on the Enterprise rail service from Belfast to Dublin can differ significantly depending on which side of the border the ticket is purchased on. Passengers travelling from Belfast Lanyon Place to Dublin Connolly Station on the 08:00 service on 1 July, for instance, would pay £33 for a standard single or £48 for an adult plus single (first class). While those travelling from Dublin Connolly Station to Belfast Lanyon Place on the 07:35 service on the same day would pay €15.99 (£13.50) for a Flexible (standard) ticket or €25.99 (£22) for a First Class single fare. Independent rail campaigner Andrew McDonald believes there is “no justification” for the difference in prices that passengers are forced to pay.
Currently, passengers from Northern Ireland are unable to reserve a seat with standard or websaver fares or book tickets for The Enterprise service on an Irish Rail website. Speaking about the disparity, Steve Bradley, Chair of the Into the West rail lobby group, said that there should be “no equivalent of a penalty fare depending which side of the border” you purchase your ticket for the service and that people should “just keep it the same”.
A statement by Translink said that The Enterprise service is jointly run by Irish Rail and Translink. Each company has its own ticketing/IT systems, fare structures and special offers and operates in different jurisdictions with different government policies. “The Republic of Ireland government has discounted public transport fares by 20% across the board, which includes Enterprise tickets for journeys originating south of the border,” stated the press release. “All Enterprise customers originating from Northern Ireland will be able to book their seats online later this year.”
Passengers from Northern Ireland may feel that they are losing out, but a man spoken to by BBC News NI claimed that it was not a bad move to encourage the use of public transport with the 20% subsidy offered by the Republic
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More