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Commuters at Newbridge station in Kildare. Eamonn Farrell

"Substantial once-off" fare increase for some rail commuters in the Dublin region "unavoidable"

There’s good news for commuters travelling to the city centre from Naas/Sallins and Kilcock stations.

SOME COMMUTERS who travel by train within the Short Hop Zone (SHZ) will be hit with a ”substantial once-off increase” due to the restructuring of the scheme’s boundaries.

Two weeks ago, the National Transport Authority (NTA) reformed the boundaries of the commuter rail zone in the Dublin region – known as the SHZ.

Currently the SHZ extends approximately 35 kilometres from the city centre to Balbriggan on the northern line and Kilcoole on the southern line.

On the Kildare and Maynooth lines the SHZ only extends 26 kilometres to Maynooth Station and 16 kilometres to Hazelhatch station from the city centre.

Price of fares 

The NTA, who is responsible for determining the price of fares for subsidised public transport, said it has now decided to align the distances.

This is good news for commuters travelling to the city centre from Naas/Sallins and Kilcock stations as they have now been brought into the SHZ and will pay lower fares.

However, due to the restructuring of the scheme, fare bands will also change, with the NTA explaining this will result in a small proportion of the total number of commuters within the SHZ having to pay a “substantial once-off increase”.

The NTA said the increase will depend on the fare type. Annual and monthly ticket holders will experience smaller increases than people purchasing single tickets. The NTA states:

Unfortunately, it is not possible to make the transition to a more equitable rail fares structure without impacting on some customers. This is regrettable but unavoidable.

Naas/Sallins and Kilcock stations 

Fianna Fáil TD Thomas Byrne told TheJournal.ie that the reforms will mean commuters travelling from Naas/Sallins and Kilcock stations “will pay almost half of what they were paying, which of course is welcomed by my constituents”.

However, he said there are flaws in the reformed scheme.

6/11/2015. Train Strikes Called Off Early morning commuters and trains at Newbridge Station in Kildare. Eamonn Farrell Eamonn Farrell

‘Outrage’ 

Byrne said there is “outrage” from locals over plans not to bring Gormanstown station into the new plan.

He questioned why some stations were chosen over others to benefit from being taken into the scheme.

“There is outrage from local commuters, many of whom travel to Dublin every day, many of whom are originally from Dublin,” said Byrne.

The NTA said that “the reality is that there must be a boundary between commuter and intercity areas on the rail network” and confirmed it would not be extending the boundary beyond the 35 kilometre mark on any of the rail lines.

“Therefore, Athy, Kildare, Monasterevin, Newbridge on the Kildare line or Gormanstown, Laytown or Drogheda on the northern line will remain within the intercity fare structure.”

The NTA states that it is aware that the intercity fares “do not offer the same value as the SHZ fares when distance factors are taken into consideration”, but said it has therefore not increased any of the intercity fares.

Byrne said it was not equitable or fair to commuters who are travelling the same distance but paying higher fares.

“Why were those stations picked and others not when they are similar distances away, yet commuters will be paying much higher fares,” said the Meath TD.

This view was echoed by Kildare South TD Fiona O’Loughlin who explained that the fare scheme is just not equitable for commuters.

Distance travelled and fare cost 

“Take Bray for instance. It is about the same distance from the city centre as Newbridge is, however, that is the Dart scheme – meaning a daily ticket is rather cheap. However, to travel the same distance from Newbridge to Dublin it will cost you around €25. It is so expensive.”

She said Newbridge has a lot of commuter traffic and should benefit from lower fares.

O’Loughlin said she has asked the Minister for Transport Shane Ross about the issue, but he said it is a matter for the NTA. She has since sought a meeting with the group to discuss the matter.

“I’m of course happy for commuters from Naas/Sallins but I am looking for the scheme to be extended to Newbridge.”

Byrne said there are wider issues to be considered in relation to bringing certain stations into the commuter zone.

Traffic congestion 

He said not extending the boundary to Gormanstown is not good practice as commuters are already driving to Balbriggan instead of Gormanston station.

It’s already much more expensive to travel from Gormanstown, he explained, adding that if Gormanstown was brought under the umbrella of the SHZ it would mean less traffic in Balbriggan.

“This already leads to a clogging up of Balbriggan town and increase traffic to the station as people are not going to want to pay more,” said Byrne.

According to the latest Heavy Rail Census from Balbriggan station had 1,872 daily boardings at the station in 2015.

This figure has risen from 1,757 in 2014. Of those passengers travelling in 2015, 1,781 were travelling southbound towards the capital. Last year Gormanstown station had 72 boardings per day.

The number of passengers boarding at Gormanstown has been falling since 2013, when 113 boardings were recorded on the census.

O’Loughlin said a similar situation could develop in Sallins.

“It is important to encourage people to use public transport but in reality it is very expensive. Under this plan, we could see people driving to Sallins and parking there in order to get the cheaper fare, which sort of defeats the purpose.

“Parking in these areas could also be affected and it could block up the roads,” said O’Loughlin.

Newbridge had 1,067 daily boardings at the station, while Naas/Sallins daily passenger boardings has been rising the last five years to 1,018 in 2015.

Byrne said it is not a fair travel policy and called for the scheme to extended as some commuters ”are missing out on the cost saving measures”.

Read: Irish and UK governments reassert their claims over Lough Foyle>

Read: Tánaiste to discuss ‘critical’ garda vacancies with Garda Commissioner>

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23 Comments
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    Mute Mark Byrne
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    Nov 19th 2016, 8:49 AM

    Fiona O’Loughlin TD said “Take Bray for instance. It is about the same distance from the city centre as Newbridge is”
    In reality Newbridge is 54km to Dublin and Bray is 27km – exactly double the distance not “about the same”.

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    Mute Cormac Byrne
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    Dec 1st 2016, 9:45 AM

    @Mark Byrne: Bray is only 20km from Dublin City Centre, while Bray Dart station to Pearse station is only about 18km. This woman has her facts way off.

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    Mute Cormac Byrne
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    Dec 1st 2016, 9:59 AM

    Bray which is 20km from the city centre and has parts of its urban area in Co.Dublin isn’t really that comparable to a town in Kildare that’s 50km away Fiona.

    1
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    Mute hugh sure
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    Nov 19th 2016, 7:20 AM

    It means I’ll have to pay more to travel on already overcrowded trains standing up the whole way in with even more passengers who’ll now start using this service. More carriages must be used it is dangerous as it is

    61
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    Mute Ryan Carroll
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    Nov 19th 2016, 11:42 AM

    Much weight will be taken off the Kildare line as many will be switching to the Phoenix Park Tunnel route next week which brings new trains

    5
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    Mute Irish Cottage Rental
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    Nov 19th 2016, 7:14 AM

    These are the same guys who just put up the annual LUAS ticket by 10% – despite inflation being way less. Clueless.

    57
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    Mute John S
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    Nov 19th 2016, 7:30 AM

    How’s about maybe for once we looked at our free travel passes etc and looked if the time has come for them to pay 50c per bus journey or €1 for a train journey?

    69
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    Mute Ted Logan
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    Nov 19th 2016, 7:34 AM

    Well, after the driver got they way did you expect the LUAS fares not to go up?

    35
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    Mute lavbeer
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    Nov 19th 2016, 8:43 AM

    Well saod John S. Using a service should mean paying something. Political structures aren’t strong enough to effect such change.

    18
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    Mute George Hogan
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    Nov 19th 2016, 9:07 AM

    Would start at 50c and €1, but within a few years pensioners’ fares would rise to 95% of a regularly priced travel ticket.

    30
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    Mute Ryan Carroll
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    Nov 19th 2016, 11:40 AM

    If the principle is “you should always pay something” we know how that ends in Ireland it will go up up up up up until the schemes defacto abolished

    They did pay btw with 40 years of taxes which sent you to school, paid for your healthcare , subsidised your clothes and shoes as a kid, show some gratitude
    It’s an incredibly cheap scheme that carries HUGE health and social benefit (and fiscal many argue). If it was gone that’s DSP money that wouldn’t go to transport anyway so I don’t know why people bring it up when there’s fare hikes if they had to pay full they’d make only essential journeys so we get maybe s slight bump in revenue no big change

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    Mute William Clay
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    Nov 19th 2016, 9:48 AM

    Fewer carriages and packed trains during midweek rush hours. Full carriage services on Saturday mornings with a handful of passengers, usually have the carriage to myself. Where’s the logic?

    41
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    Mute Ronan McKeon
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    Nov 19th 2016, 11:13 AM

    @William Clay: here, here.packed 4 carriage trains heading for Connolly every morning on the maynooth line. The look like something from Thomas the Tank Engine compared to the longer trains heading outbound for maynooth and Sligo.

    17
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    Mute Ronan McKeon
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    Nov 19th 2016, 11:16 AM

    It’s not a ‘once off’ fare increase if we’ll be paying it forever more with more increases in the future. It’s just a fare increase. I put that as a failed attempt at ‘softening the blow’.

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    Mute Martin Flood
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    Nov 19th 2016, 9:54 AM

    A few years ago all public transport fares went up because of increased fuel costs. Now that fuel is cheap… nope, didn’t think so.

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    Mute Neal not Neil
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    Nov 19th 2016, 9:29 AM

    The joke’s on you, people of Naas. You don’t even have a train station, they just tagged “and Naas” onto the name of Sallins station.

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    Mute Thomas Byrne
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    Nov 19th 2016, 8:21 AM

    Thanks for highlighting this. Of course, the article should reflect that prices are already higher in Gormanston and Stamullen residents already skip there to use Balbriggan.

    20
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    Mute Eamonn Hughes
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    Nov 19th 2016, 9:50 AM

    People in the Dublin and commuter region again suffering in order to keep vested interest lines open such as Ballybrophy to Limerick which loses 550 euro per day per passenger. Very unfair.

    20
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    Mute Jack
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    Nov 19th 2016, 4:07 PM

    @Eamonn Hughes: agreed, that joke of a western rail corridor was another pet project for West coast TDs while the commuter lines around Dublin that really need the investment suffered. I do also blame the TDs from the commuter belt, I mean if someone out west can get a whole unused rail line then the Kildare-Meath-Louth TDs have no excuse.

    3
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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Nov 19th 2016, 9:26 AM

    The fare increases arent justified and the trains are overcrowded

    17
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    Mute Tony Murphy
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    Nov 19th 2016, 11:29 AM

    There are so many people in the gormanston/Stamullen area passing by the gormanston station to get to Balbrigan station because the price of a ticket is ridiculous. For 40 seconds of an extra journey. Complete joke. Could all be sorted with the stroke of a pen.

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    Mute R H Beige Lark
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    Nov 21st 2016, 3:31 PM

    @Tony Murphy: And the straight line distance Connolly to Gormanstown is only 31km (Laytown about 36km). Makes no sense to exclude these when Drogheda is the next stop and truly Intercity.

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    Mute Tony Murphy
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    Nov 19th 2016, 11:33 AM

    @Thomas Byrne. Why not do an online survey of your constituents to see exactly how many people would use gormanston station if the zone were extended. Driving by one station to get to another boggles the mind.

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    Mute Thomas Byrne
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    Nov 19th 2016, 2:05 PM

    @Tony Murphy:@Tony Murphy: Hi Tony, yes I intend to do that

    5
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    Mute Sean O'Carroll
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    Nov 21st 2016, 1:33 AM

    The issue with the western line is the time that the trains travel at You mention Ballybrophy first train stopping there is nearly 10a.m & arrived into Limerick Corbert after 11, great for commuters , trains pass through that arrive in limerick at 8 30 ish but they don’t stop to pick people up, There is the reason for low use..
    If the service is available people will use it, Same all over the country trains depart Roslaire 10 min before the ferry arrive why ??. NTA say there is low demand so reduce there service even more. It is like doing a survey in Donegal asking would you consider using the train to travel to work or education No demand so no service supplied. The train from Sligo to dublin take 3 hrs the Motorway ends before Mulligar but you still will travel quicker to sligo by car..
    Commuter service should be put in Limerick, Galway & more in cork, to increase the attraction for companies to locate outside of dublin, reduces the pressure on the infrastructure, shortage of buildings, water, electric, road & rail have little room to expand in dublin.. lack of forward planning..

    1
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