Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Passengers on the first train from Grand Canal Dock to Hazelhatch this morning Irish Rail/Twitter

Despite delays and ticketing issues, Irish Rail hails a 'very successful morning' for Phoenix Park tunnel

The almost-140-year-old tunnel was opened to daily passengers today.

IRISH RAIL HAS hailed a successful start to services using the revamped Phoenix Park tunnel, despite IT problems causing initial ticketing issues and some delays on the line.

“Overall, it was a very successful morning,” an Irish Rail spokesperson told TheJournal.ie.

“Around 600 to 700 people used the service this morning, which is very encouraging.”

The tunnel opened this morning as commuters on the 6.14am from Newbridge became the first passengers on the new line.

The Phoenix Park tunnel connects Newbridge and Hazelhatch in Kildare with Dublin Connolly and Grand Canal Dock.

Customers had complained that Taxsaver tickets weren’t working on the new service.

The Irish Rail spokesperson said an “IT problem” that occurred overnight meant a very “low number of people” were affected by ticketing issues.

They added that anyone affected by the issue was still able to travel into Dublin city centre, and that the situation had been resolved by 8.30am this morning.

In terms of delays, Irish Rail says that delays of up to 10 minutes occurred on the line, but this was normal to the current low rail adhesion season, which sees delays caused by autumn leaves falling on tracks.

There were commuters, however, who were delighted with the new line and welcomed the cut in their commute times.

Read: Making history: 6.14 from Newbridge is first daily train through revamped Phoenix Park Tunnel

Read: Have a look inside this tunnel running under the Phoenix Park

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Author
Sean Murray
View 28 comments
Close
28 Comments
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
    JournalTv
    News in 60 seconds