Rail commuters in the west of Ireland are being “ripped off” by having to pay for “the most expensive commuter rail tickets” in the country.
This is the view of Green Party representative for Athenry Patrick Creed. According to Mr Creed, the cost of an annual rail ticket from Athenry to Galway is €1,230 while “tickets for the same distance” in the rest of the country are “much cheaper”.
“If you buy an annual commuter ticket from Maynooth to Dublin it costs €1,030.” he said, “and Cobh to Cork is just €830.”
Mr Creed contacted Irish Rail regarding the Athenry to Galway route and he said the response he was given was that the route “is not designated as a commuter route but Point to Point travel and is therefore more expensive”.
As a result, Mr Creed is asking if the stations on the New Western Rail Corridor are to be designated Point to Point or commuter?
“The opening of the M6 motorway is providing commuters with a real alternative to the train with fast safe access to the city,” he said. “For a couple or family, driving would be much cheaper than taking the train.”
Mr Creed said if Irish Rail “is serious about getting people to take the train” then commuters should expect to “pay the same as commuters in other parts of the country”.
