Leap Cards can be purchased at Ticket Vending Machines in stations within the Short Hop Zone or online at www.leapcard.ie or in selected retail outlets. TFI Leap Cards are also available in many PostPoint outlets as well as all post offices nationwide.

The Leap Card can be used for rail travel between stations within the 'Short Hop Zone'. This Zone includes all stations in the Dublin area from Kilcoole to Balbriggan and Commuter Stations from Dublin City Centre to Kilcock and from Dublin Heuston to Sallins and Naas.

The Leap Card also works in the Cork Commuter area.   

Usage outside of the Short Hop Zone and Cork commuter Rail services will result in a Fixed Payment Notice of €100 plus the relevant unpaid fare.

Travel Credit works in a similar way to mobile phone credit. Every time you use the card to travel the cost of the journey is deducted. If there is insufficient no credit on the card it cannot be used for any further journeys until it is 'Topped Up' at a ticket machine or online at www.leapcard.ie.

There are no Top-Up facilities at Ticket Offices.

1. Place the Leap Card in the slot provided.
2. Select the Top-Up Amount from options shown on the screen
3. Insert the amount selected - Notes/Coins/Credit or Debit Cards accepted
4. Remove the Leap Card from the pocket as indicated on screen
5. Your Leap Card is now Topped Up and ready for immediate use

At the start of the journey, you need to 'Touch-On' using your Leap Card at a gate or validation pole. At the end of a journey you must 'Touch-Off' to ensure the correct fare is applied.

Touch-On - Identifies the origin of the journey
Touch-Off - Identifies the destination of the journey

If you don't Touch-On you are committing fare evasion.
If you don’t Touch-Off you will pay more.

Tagging on at our gate;

• Hold the Leap Card against the Smart Card reader on the gate
• If you have credit on your Leap Card, the gate will open and allow you to enter and start your journey
• Your current ePurse balance will appear on the display on the gate

Gates and Poles may on occasion fail to identify the Touch-On / Touch-Off. It is up to the customer to ensure the card has been read successfully. The two main reasons for card failure are:

1. Incorrect Positioning of Smart Card
If the Leap Card is not placed against the reader/'target' on the pole or gate, it will not be read. Ensure that the card is held steadily against the Card reading 'target' for at least a second.
Do not wave the card over the Smart Card reading target. Do not put the Smart Card into the horizontal paper ticket slot on a gate. 

2. Smart Card Interference
Remove the Leap Card from your wallet or bag before using it. Other Smart Cards you may have in your wallet or bag can cause interference with this card, which will make it inoperable.

At a ticket Machine in the station

Put your card in the 'pocket' and then follow the instructions on the ticket machine screen.

Online

Log on to www.leapcard.ie to view your account history and you will be able to view your card balance.

For information on schoolchild Leap Cards go to our ticket information section

You can now reserve seats on most Intercity trains:

• Online at http://www.irishrail.ie/ - Check out our step by step guide to buying online
• Customer Contact Centre
• At selected Intercity Stations
• Tickets are also available at selected Travel Agents

Iarnród Éireann recommends purchasing tickets in advance to ease ticket queues at peak times.

Student/Adult/Child and Seat only reservation tickets are available online, subject to availability and the terms and conditions associated with each ticket and fare type. Check out our step by step guide to buying online or our Online Ticket Information section for more information. 

Certain trains such as sporting event specials are sold by reservation only and advance purchase is necessary.

Reservations made Online/Telesales:

• Visa credit/ debit cards
• Mastercard credit/ debit cards

Please go to our cancellation or amendments section for details.

Reservations can be made for travel up to 90 days in advance of the date of purchase. This is to ensure that services you have selected are operating as normal.

Please note booking will close a minimum of 60 minutes prior to departure from originating station. (This is subject to change without notice).

The internet browser or operating system version you are using may not be supported by Irishrail.ie.To see a list of the browsers and operating systems we support click here.

Any sudden loss of internet connection will cause issues with your booking. Please ensure you have a strong connection when making a booking on irishrail.ie

If you are still experiencing trouble try a different browser or device, alternatively contact our Customer Information Centre who can help you or make the booking for you.

Seat facing reservations are available on certain direct services on the Cork/Dublin route and all Belfast/Dublin services because of the types of train operating these routes.

When you are reserving a seat on either route

• Select "Manual Seat Selection"
• Where direction of travel is available this will be shown as "Direction of Travel" on top of the coach on display for seat selection
• Where a train is operating that we cannot guarantee direction of travel, we will not show any indication

Unfortunately, on other routes and services, operated by our new fleet of Intercity Railcars we are unable to commit or present to you the direction the seat is facing as these new trains can change direction in a few locations around our network.

1. Click on 'My Account'
2. Enter your "e-mail address" and "password", click on "Login"
3. From the menu of the left (desktop/ Tablet) or the hamburger menu (on mobile) select the section you want to change and click on "Save". You will get a message to say that your details have been updated
4. Select "Logout"

 

1. Click on "My Account"
2. Enter your "e-mail address" and "password", click on "Login"
3. From the menu of the left (desktop/ Tablet) or the hamburger menu (on mobile) select the "Booking History" option. You will see all of your previous bookings
4. Select "Logout"

irishrail.ie is currently supporting the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer. 

To see a list of the browsers and operating systems we support click here.

If you get a message "your browsers is out of date", please update the browser on your device to the latest version.

1. Click on 'My Account'
2. Enter your e-mail address and password, click on 'Login'
3. From the menu of the left (desktop/ Tablet) or the hamburger menu (on mobile) select the 'Change Password' option
4. In the first field 'Current password' enter your current password or if you reset your password enter the 'Temporary Password' you received
5. In the last two fields ‘New password’ and ‘Repeat new password’ please ensure that your new password meets the required criteria. Your password should contain at least one number, one symbol, one capital and one lower case letter, example - Ireland123!
6. The password entered into both fields must match. 
7. Click 'Change password', once successful a green message will appear at the top of the page to say that your password has been updated

If you are looking to reset your password please click below.

See our Ticket Collection Information page.

• Online at www.irishrail.ie
•  At the Ticket Office or at the Ticket Vending Machine in station where available (you may be charged an onboard supplement if ticket is not purchased before boarding the train)
  
  You can now reserve seats on most Intercity trains. Iarnród Éireann recommends purchasing tickets in advance to ease ticket queues at peak times.
  
  *Advance reservations can be made up to 90 days in advance* 
  
  Alternatively; DART, Commuter and non-reservable Intercity tickets may be purchased in advance or on the day of travel from DART, Commuter and Intercity stations and a selection of monthly commuter tickets are available at your station.

Reservations made Online/Telesales:

• Visa Debit Card
• Mastercard
• Credit Card

We do not accept American Express cards.

Reservation made in person (ie at selected booking offices):

• Cash
• Credit/Debit Cards

Tickets can only be purchased on the train if the ticket office is closed and if the ticket vending machines are not in operation. You may be charged an Onboard Supplement.

You can now reserve seats on most Intercity trains:

• Online at www.irishrail.ie
• By Phone
• At selected Intercity Stations

Iarnród Éireann recommends purchasing tickets in advance to ease ticket queues at peak times.

*Advance reservations can be made up to 90 days in advance* 

Alternatively; DART, Commuter and non-reservable Intercity tickets may be purchased in advance or on the day of travel from DART, Commuter and Intercity stations and a selection of monthly commuter tickets are available at your station.

Iarnród Éireann sells a variety of tickets. Click here for a list of ticket types

Most of our fares are available from our Fares and Tickets section. However, if you cannot find the fare you require then please contact us.

The Customer Charter is Iarnród Éireann's promised performance standards. Click here for more details.

If your train was delayed due to circumstances within the control of Iarnród Éireann the following apply;

If you are more than one hour late in arriving at your destination, we will normally offer you discount vouchers for use against future ticket purchases. The value of discount vouchers is based on the length of delay and the fare you have paid for your single journey.

For delays of one to two hours, we will give you vouchers to the value of 50 percent of the fare you have paid for the portion of your journey affected.

For delays over two hours, we will give you vouchers to the value of 100 percent of the fare you have paid for the portion of your journey affected.
 
Click here to view our passenger charter.

You must make all refund claims within 28 days of the end date of your ticket. We may ask for extra evidence to support your claim for a refund.

An administration fee will be charged and if you have purchased a reservation either online, telesales or at a booking office the terms and conditions you agreed to will apply.

If you did not buy your ticket from Iarnród Éireann, you should return it to the place where you bought your ticket from. They will arrange any refund due (if any) and may charge you an administration fee.

If we fail to honour your seat reservation, and no other seat of similar standard on the same service is available for you, we will refund the fare of your single journey in travel vouchers.

If you wish to register a complaint under the 2005 Disability Act please contact access@irishrail.ie

Yes, go to our student section for further information on our fantastic offers.

Iarnród Éireann has a nationwide rail network. The Intercity routes cover major cities and towns around the country.  Commuter Rail covers commuter routes to Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick. DART serves Greystones to Howth/Malahide.

For your own comfort it is best to avoid rush hour times. These are approximately between:

• 07:00 hrs and 09:00 hrs and between
• 17:00 hrs and 19:00 hrs weekdays

Friday afternoon and evenings are very busy on Intercity routes. Intercity trains are also very busy on Sunday evenings returning to Dublin.

Intercity passengers should arrive at the station 30 minutes prior to departure. If you are collecting a reservation or purchasing a ticket especially during our peak travel times please give yourself more time.  Gates will close 2 minutes before the train departs.

• Online
• Printable timetable
• Talking Timetable 1890 77 88 99
• Contact your local station

For more information on bicycle carriage, please click here for our Bicycle Information section.

Yes you can

On-board catering resumes on the Cork to Dublin route from the 24th April. A limited service will operate initially with more services being added over the following weeks. From the 15th May a full trolley service will be in place on all Dublin to Cork and Cork to Dublin services.

Customers please note, all catering services are cashless and cash will not be accepted on board.

On-board catering is available on the Dublin - Belfast Enterprise services.

Retail / catering facilities are available at many of our stations.

Go to our Catering section for more information.

NO. Smoking is prohibited on all trains, offices and enclosed station areas. Iarnród Éireann treats replacement devices such as e-cigarettes in an identical manner to traditional cigarettes and they cannot be used onboard trains, within offices or in enclosed station areas.

Yes, please contact the terminal station of the service you travelled on. You can find all station contact details on our Station Information page.

For all services into Heuston Station call  (01) 703 2132 (Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:00).

For all services into Connolly Station call (0)1 703 2358 (Monday to Friday 07:00 - 19:00).

or

Send an email to lostproperty@irishrail.ie with a subject line of Lost Property, please ensure to provide your full name and contact number, and as many details as possible.

Please note that we only hold onto lost property items for 30 days.

Children aged from five years old up to nineteen years are entitled to purchase a child ticket or fare.

Children under the age of five years are entitled to travel for free any Iarnród Éireann services when accompanied by a fare paying adult provided children do not occupy seats required for other fare paying passengers.

Those who wish to book a seat on reservable trains for a child under five years of age, may do so only by selecting the "Free Travel Pass or Valid Ticket' option on the journey planner. 

Yes, please go to our Wi-Fi and Power section to view availability.

Yes, please go to our Wi-Fi and Power section to view availability.

For information on the Free Travel Pass scheme please see the below links;

• If you wish to book onto a train see our handy guide Booking a 'Free Travel Pass or Valid Ticket' option 
• For information on how to travel with a Free Travel Pass on rail services see our FAQ Do I need to get a ticket to accompany my Free Travel/Public Services Card?
• For more information on how to use your Public Service Card for free travel check out this TFI How to use your PSC for free travel leaflet or visit freetravel.ie
• For information on what a Free Travel Pass is go to the Department of Social Protection website, contact your local Social Welfare Office or Call their Information Line at 1890 500 000 (from the Republic of Ireland only) or 00353 71 915 7100 (from Northern Ireland or overseas).

All free travel passes are issued by the Department of Social Protection not by the transport provider. Free travel passes are non-transferrable and can only be used by the named person. 

Go to our Travelling with Animals section for information.

Iarnród Éireann uses the following website for advertising all of its formal tender opportunities.

www.etenders.gov.ie

Interested parties are advised to register on this site to gain access to all live tender processes.

Click here to view the Bye Laws

Conditions of Carriage (272KB)

Please see our Guidance For Third Party Works page.

The Annual Report can be downloaded in PDF format from 2003 to present here

Iarnród Éireann is committed to operating in an environmentally sound manner, and to encouraging the expansion of rail as a mode of sustainable mobility and transport in order to reduce the greenhouse effect and other forms of pollution. Visit our Environment page.

For information on our Intercity, Commuter, Dart and Locomotive rail fleet please see our Fleet page.

Heritage and Enthusiast's information page.

Iarnród Éireann operates a fixed penalty payment scheme on all our routes, (Intercity, Commuter and DART). You must Purchase a valid ticket for the journey you are making, before joining the train.

If you don’t have a valid ticket on board the Train you will have to pay a fixed penalty payment of €100 plus the unpaid fare.
Here are the contact details for our Revenue Protection Unit

Revenue Protection Building
Connolly Station
Amiens Street,
Dublin 1

Email: rpu@irishrail.ie

If your request relates to criminal activity please report it to An Garda Síochána who will liaise with Iarnród Éireann to access CCTV.

If you request relates to CCTV of your own personal images, please contact dpo@irishrail.ie with your request.

 

Iarnród Éireann is not affiliated with or otherwise involved in the development, marketing or other distribution of any applications to do with Iarnród Éireann.

Please go to our App Developers area

3D Secure is a protocol used as an added layer of security for online credit and debit card transactions. This is achieved by adding another authentication step for online payments; a password.

It was developed by Visa and named “Verified by Visa”. MasterCard then developed a service based on the same protocol called “MasterCard® SecureCode™”. It was created to improve the security of Internet payments by offering an extra layer of security to customers before making a purchase online. This involves selecting a password. This ensures your credit card cannot be used fraudulently as only you will know the associated password.

The first time you make a purchase with a 3D Secure enabled card you will be redirected to your issuing credit card’s secure website. Before you proceed you must verify some personal details and select a password. This is integrated into our checkout page. You must never disclose this password to anyone – this is how you guarantee your card is secure. Do not write your password down anywhere.

 

If your card's been rejected, don't panic. There could be a few simple reasons why: 

• The customers' issuing bank has declined our request for the funds
• Wrong card number entered
• Wrong CVV/CVC entered (last 3 digits on back of the card)
• Card expiration date is in the past
• Customers have had a replacement new card but using the old one
• Multiple attempts using the same card can lead to us blocking your card, if so contact us 

If you are still having issues, you can contact us here.

The 3D Secure authentication process is smoothly integrated into our online checkout process and will usually only add a few seconds to the normal transaction time. We believe this is a small price to pay for increased protection for our customers.

If you have purchased a product or service online using 3D Secure before, you will be asked to submit your chosen password during the purchasing process. You will be familiar with the process.

If you haven’t purchased a product or service online using 3D Secure before on any website, you will be redirected to your issuing credit card’s secure website where you must verify some personal details and select a password. This is integrated into our checkout page. You must never disclose this password to anyone – this is how you guarantee your card is secure. Do not write your password down anywhere.

If you can’t remember your 3D Secure password you need to contact your bank or in the 3D Secure section there will be an option to select 'Forgotten Password' or 'Retrieve Password'. Follow the instructions provided. We don’t save your 3D Secure password on any Iarnród Éireann computer system; when you selected your password this was saved only on your bank’s computer system. Iarnród Éireann will never contact a customer to ask for your 3D Secure password and we cannot help you retrieve forgotten 3D Secure passwords.

If you have been unsuccessful in making a payment through 3D Secure please contact our sales hotline on (0)1 836 6222 (between 08.30-18.00, Monday to Friday) to make your payment over the phone.

Unfortunately not. Instead you will need to contact our Call Centre to make your payment over the phone.

For further details on 3D Secure you need to contact your issuing bank or the following websites:

• Verified by Visa - Information and Activation
• Verified by Visa - Demonstration of using Verified by Visa (Flash plugin Required)
• MasterCard® SecureCode™ – Explanation, Sign up and Demonstration

All Mastercard, Visa Debit and credit cards are accepted. 

• Scenario 1 – ALL CARDS: If your card issuer hasn’t implemented 3D Secure, you will continue your payment transaction as normal;
  • Scenario 2a - MASTERCARD: If your bank has implemented 3D Secure but you have not registered for 3D Secure before, you may have 3 attempts to skip the 3D Secure process – on the fourth attempt you must complete the transaction through the 3D Secure process by registering a 3D Secure password;
  • Scenario 2b - VISA: If your bank has implemented 3D Secure but you have not registered for 3D Secure, you must complete the transaction through the 3D Secure process by registering a 3D Secure password – there are no options to bypass;
    

• When registering for the first time, you must first verify you are the cardholder by answering some security questions as chosen by your bank (eg your mother’s maiden name, your credit card limit, your CCV number, your expiry date amongst other potential questions)
• If successful, you select a 3D Secure password, a password reminder hint and a personal greeting
• If unsuccessful, you must ring your card issuing bank (depending on your card issuer, you may have three attempts to enter your password)
• The personal greeting gives you confidence you are visiting a trusted site the next time you complete a 3D Secure transaction on irishrail.ie or any other 3D Secure enabled website

• Scenario 3 – ALL CARDS: If your card issuer has implemented 3D Secure and you have previously registered a 3D Secure password (on irishrail.ie or any other 3D Secure website), you have to insert your 3D Secure password to complete the transaction. You will see your personal greeting that you previously set (eg Welcome back John) to reassure you that you are on a trusted 3D Secure page. If you cannot remember your password, there is a password reset facility. Depending on the card issuer, you may have three attempts to insert your correct password

Yes, as company credit or purchasing cards are not personalised, the 3D Secure check will complete automatically without seeking a 3D Secure password verification.

Yes, as prepaid debit cards are not associated to a specific person the 3D Secure check will complete automatically without seeking a 3D Secure password verification.

Yes, Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail provide FREE apps for iOS and Android mobile devices, click link for more information.

Please rate and comment on our apps in the stores and help us to improve them for you.

Any other apps claiming to be Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail, partners or affiliates are unofficial and have nothing to do with Iarnród Éireann.

 

Yes, a Luas add on is available for customer travelling on rail services. Simply select 'Dublin Connolly' if your selected services orgin or destination is 'Dublin Heuston' and if the origin or destination is 'Dublin Heuston' select 'Dublin Connolly'.  Origin and destination of services can be seen on our Intercity Route Map.

For example; if you are travelling from Cork you would select 'Dublin Connolly' for the Luas add on. Or if you are travelling from Sligo you would select 'Dublin Heuston' for the Luas add on.

The Luas ticket allows customers to travel on the Luas Red Line between Dublin Heuston and Dublin Connolly/George's Dock or the 90 and 145 Dublin Bus to Lesson Street for the date or dates on the ticket only.

Cost: €1.40 each way.
Available from: irishrail.ie as an origin and or destination
Available from: Ticket vending machines or booking offices into Dublin only

Yes. There are a limited number of wheelchair accessible spaces on each train, it is important therefore that you book your space in advance.

You can book this space by contacting your local station and advising them of the date(s) and service(s) you intend to travel on. They will then record this and make sure that a staff member is available to assist you on the day(s) of travel.

Alternatively, you can reserve the wheelchair space on a number of Dublin/Cork services. To do this you need to do the following;

• Input your travel criteria and click 'Go'
• Select the service(s) you wish to travel on
• Choose the number of tickets required and click 'Buy Ticket' (If you are in possession of a DSP pass then you need to select 'Reserve Seat Only'.)
• Input name(s) of passengers
• Click 'Select Your Own Seat'
• Click the wheelchair icon if available and proceed with booking. 

Trains with wide, power- operated doors and dedicated wheelchair spaces operate on most of our services. It should be noted that some stations there is a gap between the platform and the carriages which may create difficulty for people who are visually impaired or have mobility impairments and assistance may be required when boarding or alighting from the train.

We can accommodate wheelchair or powered scooters up to 700mm in width and 1200 mm long (including footplates) height 1435mm including occupant a maximum weight of 300kg including occupant and a turning radius of 900mm.

For safety reasons if your wheelchair or mobility scooter is larger that the permitted dimensions, we cannot accept it as the wheelchair or scooter may not be able to turn corners on board the train.

If you have completed a booking online by getting a reservation number at the end of the booking process then you should receive a confirmation email from us within 60 minutes.

If you did not receive an email within that time period then you should check your 'Spam' or 'Junk' folders as your mailbox provider may have placed the email in one of these folders.

Go to Manage My Booking to resend the booking confirmation.

Alternatively, you can check your booking history in your Iarnród Éireann account;

1. Click on 'My Account'
2. Enter your 'e-mail address' and 'password', click on 'Login'
3. From the menu of the left (desktop or Tablet) or the hamburger menu (on mobile) select the 'Booking History' option. You will see all of your previous bookings. Note the booking number for collection
4. Select 'Logout'

Customers please note that if you set up an account with an incorrect email address then the confirmation email will be sent to the incorrect email address.

If you entered all your card details on the payments page and have also gone through the 3D secure area, and the final confirmation page has failed to appear with your reservation number then you can check has your booking gone through by completing the following steps; 

• Click on "My Account"
• Enter your "E-mail Address" and "Password", click on "Log In"
• Click on "My Reservations".  This will list all of the transactions made using the email address
• If the booking was completed then it will be the first reservation on the list
• If there are no new reservations then we suggest attempting your booking again because if you were successful then it would appear in your account immediately

 

If you don't book a ticket online within a 13 month period then your email account is deactivated.

If this happens then you need to select the options "I wish to create an Iarnród Éireann account" when entering your contact details on your next booking. Then you will receive an email and a password to your account.

GoCar is a ‘subscribe and drive’ system. In order to rent any GoCar you must firstly become a member of the GoCar service. Signing up is easy! All you need to do is sign up online at www.gocar.ie and complete the online form. Then you will need to send in a photo or scanned copy of your driving licence. If you complete the application form and send in your licence before 4pm Monday-Friday then they will put your GoCard in the post the same day! Once you have your GoCard you are free to book GoCars all across Dublin and Cork. You can book a GoCar from 5 minutes in advance to 6 weeks depending on availability.

Once you have made your booking you arrive to your selected GoCar and hold your GoCard up to the windscreen, wait for the doors to open and then hop in! Enter your PIN into the console in the glove box and take the keys and go! When you’re finished with your GoCar return it to the GoBase you picked it up from and replace the keys into the glove box, make sure to lock the car with your GoCard.

 

 

Should you have any issues when using GoCar you can contact them on 01 844 1969 or on their website at www.gocar.ie

 

Should there be a car parked in the allocated space they ask that you park as close as possible to the GoBase.  Then call them to let them know where the GoCar is parked. Should your call not be answered please leave a voicemail detailing where the GoCar is parked.

 

They have listed some trouble shooting guidelines on the insert in the glove box, please have a read through these first. Sometimes the issue is very easily fixed. Most GoCars have an additional safety feature where the clutch must be fully engaged before the engine will start. Another common issue is when the PIN has been entered incorrectly, if you think this might have happened please replace the keys and relock the car with your GoCard. Wait a minute or so and try the process again!

Should you still be stuck please call 01 844 1969 where they will get someone out to help you if necessary.

When you go to collect your GoCar they ask that you have a quick look around the car. If you notice any damage please check the damage report sheet in the driver’s door. If this damage has not been reported please call them on 01 844 1969 to let them know and mark the damage in the book.

If the damage has been reported in the book then there is no need to call. You can continue on your journey. If you arrive to the GoCar and it is excessively dirty please call to let them know, they can try and move you to an alternative GoCar if you wish.

 

Unfortunately not, GoCar is a return car sharing model meaning wherever you pick the GoCar up from you must return it to that GoBase. This is to ensure that when you make a booking for a GoCar that the car will always be at the allocated GoBase. This is what makes GoCar a real alternative to car ownership.

Should you be in an accident while in a GoCar firstly please call the Gardai. Then when everything has been reported please call them through the in car console or on 01 844 1969 to report the incident. If necessary they will send out a representative to the scene.

 

Any ticket which has become defaced, illegible, mutilated, torn, split, lost, mislaid or stolen will not be valid for travel, replaced or eligible for refund. Customers must purchase a new ticket to travel.

If you wish to appeal against a fixed payment notice, with which you have been issued, you must do so in writing or via email to the addresses shown on the receipt given to you by the inspector within 21 DAYS. Failure to pay will lead to a prosecution and a Criminal conviction plus a fine of up to a €1000 in the District Courts.

Here are some of the benefits of having an Iarnrod Eireann Account;

• Manage your bookings with a simple login
• Skip registration
• More payment options
• Easily upgrade your journey

You can only create an account during a booking. To create an account select the options "I wish to create an Iarnród Éireann account" when entering your contact details when booking. Then you will receive an email and a password to your account.

Revenue Protection Unit
Revenue Protection Building
Connolly Station
Amiens Street,
Dublin 1

Email: rpu@irishrail.ie
Phone: Call our Customer Contact Centre

A Leap Card is a reusable plastic smart card that can be used instead of paper tickets to pay-as-you-go for transport in Dublin. This card is used to store travel credit that is deducted as and when you use it when travelling on public transport.

Customers pay less with a Leap Card than when paying for single fares with cash on DART and Commuter rail services, Dublin Bus and Luas services.

Customers can register their Leap Card online, so if it's lost or stolen, no one else can use it.

For more information, go to leapcard.ie

The Leap Card system Caps a customers use of travel credit so that once you hit the cap value you can continue to travel as normal on the applicable transport operator, but no further travel credit will be taken from your card on their services.

Once you hit the Cap value for the day of the week, you should continue to use their Leap Card as normal when travelling. You should still Touch On and Touch Off as normal in order to have a valid card for inspection.

If you make lots of trips with your Leap Card on a daily or weekly (Mon to Sun) basis, a maximum Cap value will be applied to your travel credit spend.

For more information, go to Leap Card Capping.

The system adds up how much travel credit you have used on the applicable services you have travelled on for a given day or week and then it stops taking any more fares once the applicable Cap value is reached.

For more information, go to Leap Card Capping.

A Daily Cap runs from the first service of the day to the last service in that same day.

A Weekly Cap (Mon-Sun) runs from the first service on a Monday to the last service on a Sunday.

There are a number of benefits as follows;

• Leap Card will be protected against loss or theft (as long as you report it missing/stolen)
• You won't need to complete an online form for every online Top-Up
• You can view your card history and usage
• You can manage additional Leap Cards through your account (eg child's Leap Card)

If you have any queries or concerns then you can contact Leap customer care on 1850 824 824 and the team will investigate and liaise with you directly.

Check out our step by step guide to booking a Free Travel pass or Valid Ticket.

Looking for more information check out our FAQ Where do I find Information on the Free Travel Pass? Customers are advised their is limited availability for seat only reservations online.

 

If you purchase a Low Fare or Semi Flexible ticket for the wrong date we will only cancel it for you for free if you advise us within 30 minutes* of the booking being purchased and provide proof of a new booking** being made for the same journey but for a different date(s).

1) Make a new booking for the correct date(s) for the same journey. Without a new booking number applications will be denied.

2) Contact our Call Centre by phone 

3) Please have the old and the new booking details ready so we can process your application.

If this happens outside of call centre opening hours customers must:

1) Make a new booking for the correct date(s) for the same journey. Without a new booking number applications will be denied.

2) Contact us through our web form*** requesting

1. A refund for a booking mistake.
2. Reference the old booking number.
3. Reference the new booking number. Without a new booking number applications will be denied.

3) During the next few days, a staff member will investigate the refund claim and advise you of the outcome.

**The timestamp of the new booking must be after the incorrect booking. Bookings made prior to the incorrect booking will not be entertained.

***Iarnród Éireann will not be accountable for any claims of emails sent or not being received. The web form is recorded twice and our records are final.

Fully Flex bookings can be cancelled via the “My Booking” section up to 90 minutes before departure if the ticket has not been printed.

Otherwise normal terms and conditions strictly apply.

Leap card products can be used on the Cork – Cobh/Midleton routes.

Yes combined Rail and Bus Tickets are available on the Cork to Midleton route for more information please see our Fares Section.

Yes for more information please visit our Fares Sections.

Yes Leap epurse is now available in Cork for more information please visit our Fares Sections.

Yes, Annual cards are available on Leap cards in Cork.

Yes, see our Cork Smart Card section for further details on products available and applicable routes.

When you get close to a Daily or Weekly Cap you will only be charged the amount to bring you up to the Cap. After you have reached a Cap you will be charged €0.00 for subsequent travel that day or over the Week (Mon-Sun). Make sure you still 'touch-on' and 'touch-off' your Leap Card even when you have reached the daily or weekly cap.

Yes. You can reserve a seat where available by selecting a Reserve Seat Only

Each year Iarnród Éireann carries over 38 million passengers on its Intercity, DART and Commuter trains. If even a small percentage of passengers failed to pay for their tickets, the revenue lost to Iarnród Éireann would be substantial.

Fare evasion is a criminal offence. You must purchase a valid ticket for the journey you are making before you get on any train. If you do not have a valid ticket or validated Leap/Smart card when asked to produce your ticket, you can be prosecuted in the District Court under the Railway Safety Act 2005. A passenger who travels without a valid ticket faces a fine of up to €1,000 on conviction in the District Court as well as legal costs.

If you cannot produce a valid ticket when requested to do so by an authorised officer, you may be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice. This means that if you wish to avoid a court appearance and the possibility of receiving a criminal conviction, you may pay a fine of €100 plus your unpaid fare. The Fixed Payment option is only available for a period of 21 days as set out in the Railway Safety Act. If the fine is not paid within that period, a summons will issue and legal costs will be incurred.

If you have been issued with a Fixed Payment Notice you can pay it online.

• Pay Online Now using a credit/ debit card
• By telephone - Call the Customer Contact Centre
• By Post - Postal Orders and Bank Drafts will only be accepted if made payable to Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail and should be forwarded to the Revenue Protection Unit, Irish Rail, Connolly Station, Amiens Street, Dublin 1.

You are responsible for ensuring that you buy a ticket that is valid for your entire journey before travelling.  If you cannot produce a valid ticket when requested to do so by an authorised officer, you will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice.

No. It is your responsibility to allow yourself reasonable time to buy a ticket before travelling. Ticket Vending Machines are provided at stations. Tickets can also be bought in advance of travel from ticket offices or on line at www.irishrail.ie 

Step by Step guide to setting up a new account

An Irish Rail account will allow you to view your recent bookings, save and edit your personal details as well as see important news and special offers from Irish Rail.

If you set up an account with Irish Rail on our old website it is likely that you will now need to create a new account. Accounts can only be set up through the booking process.

• Step 1 - Book a journey on the Irish rail journey planner, selecting the departure and arrival locations, dates, number of passengers and seats as normal

• Step 2 - After the seat selection page you will be brought to the account page. Here you will be given the choice to log in with your Irish Rail account or 'Proceed as Guest'. Click Proceed as Guest

• Step 3 - Enter your customer details as normal. Below this there are two checkboxes. The second of which is 'Yes, I wish to create an Iarnód Éireann account'. Check this box

• Step 4 - Complete booking as normal

• Step 5 - You will receive an email with a temporary password shortly after. You can change the password by following the instructions in the email
  

You will now be able to access your Irish Rail account.

Ticket Vending Machines are in operation throughout our network. These machines are monitored and regularly maintained to ensure that they are operational.  Irish Rail is automatically notified if the TVMs are out of order.  In the unlikely event that the booking office is closed and all the Ticket Vending Machines are not working, you will be required to pay for your journey on the train or at your destination. Failure to pay the required fare will result in a Fixed Payment Notice being issued.

You must buy a ticket to cover your journey before travelling. Failure to buy a ticket will result in a Fixed Payment Notice being issued.

You are responsible for ensuring that you Touch On your Leap card at a validation point before travelling, otherwise you will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice.

You will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice as the ticket is not valid without the required DSP identification.

It is your responsibility to buy any additional ticket that you need to complete your journey before boarding the train otherwise you will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice.

Any person aged 19 years or older who purchases a child ticket will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice. Child tickets are only valid for persons aged 3-18 years. 

Any authorised officer of Irish Rail can issue a Fixed Payment Notice.

Yes. The authorised officer can confiscate the ticket as it may be used as evidence if the Fixed Payment is not paid and the case is prosecuted before the courts.

No. You have 21 days to pay the Fixed Payment Notice.

If you have been issued with a Fixed Payment Notice and you wish to appeal the decision, you can do so via email to RPU@irishrail.ie or in writing to the Revenue Protection Unit, Connolly Station, Amiens Street, Dublin 1 within 21 days from the date of issue of the Fixed Payment Notice.

Customers are advised that alcohol is not permitted on any Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail service until further notice.

Non-alcoholic drinks, including '0%'or '0.0%' products, are permitted on-board.

 

No. If you board a train without a valid ticket, you will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice.

You will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice, as a discounted student ticket is only valid on production of a valid student I.D card.Accepted Student I.D can be found in the fares and tickets section. 

You will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice and the card will be confiscated.

As your ticket is not valid for first class accommodation, a supplement/upgrade fee must be paid. Refusal to pay this supplement or move to standard accommodation will result in a Fixed Payment Notice being issued.

A Fixed Payment Notice can be issued for failing or refusing to give your name or address to an authorised officer or giving a name or address which is false or misleading.  A Fixed Payment Notice can also be issued for trespass on a railway, unlawful use of an emergency cord or other system of communication between passengers and train drivers and failure to shut and fasten gates of level crossings or passage.  Breach of CIE bye-laws can also be prosecuted before the District Court. A full list of CIE bye-laws as set out in the Córas Iompair Éireann Bye-laws (Confirmation) Order, 1984 can be found on irishrail.ie.

Where a passenger has committed more than one offence, the Fixed Payment Notice will reflect an increased fine.

Yes. If an authorised officer reasonably suspects that a person is committing or has committed an offence under Section 129 of the Railway Safety Act 2005, he or she may require the person to give his or her name and address and, if the person fails or refuses to do so or gives a name that the authorised officer reasonably suspects is false or misleading, the authorised officer may arrest that person without warrant and deliver, as soon as practicable, the person into the custody of a member of the Garda Síochána to be dealt with according to law.

For information regarding DATA Protection please see our Privacy and Cookies Policy

 

For information on Filming/photo shoots on Iarnród Éireann services and property, and/or Córas Iompair Éireann property please click here.

In the event that the Fixed Payment is not paid, you can be prosecuted and face a potential fine of up to €1,000 upon conviction as well as legal costs.

Yes, in denominations of €10 and €50. Vouchers can only be used against tickets bought in stations and not online.

To purchase or for more information contact your local station.

Please note that your train may not be bookable or displaying a SOLD OUT message due to one of the following reasons;

• Online bookings close 90 minutes before a train departs its origin station
• Some cross route journeys may not be bookable. Please contact us if your InterCity origin and destination combination is not available to book
• DART and Commuter services are not available for online bookings
• Online bookings are only available up to 90 days in advance

If you are receiving the following message 'Your browser is outdated', you will need to update your browser. To see what version you are using;

1. Open your browser
2. Click the options icon in the top right hand corner in Chrome and Internet Explorer or top left hand corner in Firefox and Safari
3. On the drop down menu, click ‘Help’ then click ‘About’
4. Here, you can see what version your browser is currently on
5. To see a list of the browsers and operating systems we support click here

If your browser does not meet our requirements, please see our guide on how to update your browser.

If you are receiving the following message 'Your operating system is out of date', you will need to update your operating system. To see what version you are using;

Windows;

1. Open ‘Start’ in the bottom left hand corner
2. Search for ‘Windows Update’ in the search bar
3. You will see if your browser is outdated and what version you are currently running
4. Please ensure that your operating system meets our requirements in our requirements guide

Mac;

1. Open ‘App Store’
2. Click the ‘Updates’ tab in the top menu
3. You’ll see any software update that is available and what version you are currently running
4. Please ensure that your operating system meets our requirements in our requirements guide

iOS;

1. Open ‘Settings’
2. Open ‘General’
3. Open ‘About'
4. You will see the version you are currently running
5. Please ensure that your operating system meets our requirements in our requirements guide

Android;

1. Open ‘Settings’
2. Open ‘About device’
3. Open 'Software info'
4. You will see the version you are currently running
5. Please ensure that your operating system meets our requirements in our requirements guide

See our guide on how to update your operating system for more information.

For information on our fare types; Low, Medium Flex, Flexible or First class see our Online Tickets and Fares section.

We advise customers to reset their passwords via the My Account Forgotten Password link.

Please ensure that your password is a minimum of eight characters and contains at least one digit, one upper case character and one symbol example Ireland1!

Bookings made prior to the 24th April cannot be viewed online. Please Contact Us to retrieve your previous bookings.

3D Secure authentication is used by Banks to prevent online card fraud. Banks use the process to make online transactions more secure. In some instances, banks bypass the authentication process but the transaction will progress normally.

If you are entering an non Irish phone number please ensure you include your international dialling code eg From the United States you put 001 or +1 before the phone number. 

Step by Step guide to booking a ticket for a Wheelchair Users:

• Step 1 - Enter your origin and destination in the 'From' and 'To' fields, select a 'Single' or 'Return' ticket and select your date(s). Select the type and number of passengers travelling on the journey eg 2 Adults 1 Student

• Step 2 - To book a ticket for a Wheelchair user click the ‘Wheelchair users’ option just below the passenger options, a pop-up will appear on your screen. Tick each passenger that requires a 'Wheelchair space'. Select which passenger(s) require a Wheelchair space. If the wheelchair user has a Free Travel Pass they must also select the ‘Seat only reservation’ which is located beside the ‘Wheelchair user’ option. Select each passenger(s) that require this option also. A “Seat only reservation” is not a valid ticket for travel and must be accompanied by a valid ticket. Once you have all the required fields filled out select 'Go'. You will then receive a full list of available services and the total price for all passengers travelling will be displayed, this will include the price of the seat only reservation if this option has been selected

• Step 3 - Choose the service(s) you wish to travel on by selecting one of the fares presented and select 'Book Tickets'. If you are looking for further information like intermediate stations and catering offering, select the 'Show details' button

• Step 4- Select Seats - You can select 'Automatic Seat Selection' or 'Manual Seat Selection'. Manual seat selection will allow you to choose which seat you would like to reserve, Automatic seat selection will choose for you

• Step 5 - Log in - If you have an existing Irish Rail account then you need to enter your email address and password and select 'Login'. If this does not work select "forgotten password" option and follow the instructions on screen. If you don’t have an account you can continue as a ‘Guest’ to the 'Passenger Details' page

• Step 6 - Passenger Details - Enter name(s). If you don't have an account, don't worry, you can register for an online account by simply ticking 'Yes, I wish to create an Iarnród Éireann account' under 'Customer details'. If you dont want to create an Iarnród Éireann continue as a guest. Once your booking is complete you will receive an email with your password, please ensure that you copy and paste the password from the email to avoid making a mistake typing in the password. You can update your password under 'My Account' if you wish

• Step 7 - Payment Overview - Enter in your card details, read and agree to the terms and conditions then click 'Pay Now'

• Step 8 - 3D Secure - You may then be brought to a WorldPay 3D Secure section, if your bank wants to verify the card presented when booking, banks do not always require this step. 3D Secure is a protocol used as an added layer of security for online credit and debit card transactions provided by your bank. This is achieved by adding another authentication step for online payments; a password. They will ask you for your secure password or some other information only you the cardholder should know. If you are not registered for 3D secure you will be presented with an option if your bank allows it. Once you have completed this successfully you must click 'Continue'

• Step 9 - Confirmation - You have now reached the confirmation page, make sure to write down your 'Ticket Collection Number' and keep it safe in order to collect your tickets, you will also receive an email confirmation of your booking with the details included. You can now add the booking to your calendar for convenience!

We can accommodate wheelchair or powered scooters up to 700mm in width and 1200 mm long (including footplates) height 1435mm including occupant a maximum weight of 300kg including occupant and a turning radius of 900mm.

For safety reasons if your wheelchair or mobility scooter is larger that the permitted dimensions, we cannot accept it as the wheelchair or scooter may not be able to turn corners on board the train.
 

Free Travel Pass holders wishing to book a ticket should select the option "Free Travel Pass or Valid Ticket" to book on to a train. 

This feature is not available on the APCOA Connect app or website. Please contact APCOA Customer Support Centre by emailing info@apcoa.ie or by calling 0818 462 888 who will be able to amend your parking. . Calling from outside the Republic of Ireland 01 6516900.

Opening Hours:

Monday to Friday: 07:00hrs - 22:00hrs (open at 06:00hrs until 23rd February 2018)

Saturdays: 08:00hrs -18:00hrs

Yes you can have multiple cars on your APCOA account through the APCOA Connect app or website, please visit apcoaconnect.ie for more information. 

You can change your vehicle registration for sessions of 1 month or greater, via the APCOA Connect app or APCOA website.

Otherwise please contact APCOA Customer Support Centre by emailing info@apcoa.ie or by calling 0818 462 888 who will be able to amend your parking.Calling from outside the Republic of Ireland 01 6516900

Opening Hours:

Monday to Friday: 07:00hrs - 22:00hrs (open at 06:00hrs until 23rd February 2018)

Saturdays: 08:00hrs -18:00hrs

Yes car parking charges at Iarnród Éireann car parks do include VAT. There is a detailed breakdown of the taxation portion of each parking history in the APCOA website account section.  

Due to data protection customer data will not be transferred to APCOA Connect. All customers will need to register with APCOA Connect directly if they are not already registered.

You can download the APCOA Connect app and register before 19th February 2018, however you will not be able to pay for parking at Iarnród Éireann car parks until after that date.

APCOA Connect will become available at Iarnród Éireann car parks on a phased basis starting from Monday 19th February 2018. You can start using APCOA Connect as soon as you see their new signs. After 26th February 2018 you will no longer be able to purchase car parking through Parkbytext for Iarnród Éireann car parks.

To appeal a clamping fine with APCOA please see apcoa.ie for more information. 

You can book your car parking online through apcoaconnect.ie or through the APCOA Connect app. Visit apcoaconnect.ie for more information on how to book. 

When you book your car parking on APCOA Connect App or via the website you will receive a booking confirmation message.

If you get clamped at an Iarnród Éireann car park, a document will be placed on the window of your car outlining how to pay and who to contact. Please refer to this document.  

APCOA Connect are our Parking Operator and all issues with making payment should be addressed to APCOA. Please call APCOA Customer Support Centre on 0818 462 888. Calling from outside the Republic of Ireland 01 6516900. 

Opening Hours:

Monday to Friday: 07:00hrs - 22:00hrs (open at 06:00hrs until 23rd February 2018)

Saturdays: 08:00hrs -18:00hrs

Please visit our Car Parking section for information on car park charges at stations.

You can pre-book your car parking online at apcoaconnect.ie or through the APCOA Connect App. APCOA Connect accepts all major credit and debit cards. Visit apcoaconnect.ie for more information. 

There are no additional charges for booking your car parking with APCOA for an Iarnród Éireann car park.

To download the APCOA Connect app visit the Apple Store or Google Play Store.

Any valid Parkbytext parking transactions that extend beyond 26th February 2018 (eg TaxSaver or annual pass holders), will remain valid in APCOA’s systems. If you wish to make any changes to these details after 26th February 2018 APCOA will be able to assist you further.

You can pre-book your car parking at an Iarnród Station as far in advance as you would like.

We welcome feedback from our customers. To provide feedback please  call APCOA Customer Support Centre on 0818 462 888. Calling from outside the Republic of Ireland 01 6516900. 

Opening Hours:

07:00hrs - 22:00hrs Monday to Friday (open at 06:00hrs until 23rd February 2018)

08:00hrs -18:00hrs Saturdays

Yes, all payments processed by APCOA Connect are secure.

Code  Car Park Location
0905  Arklow Train Station
0907  Athenry Train Station
0872  Athlone Train Station
0901  Athy Train Station
1546  Bagenalstown Train Station
0507  Balbriggan Train Station
0906  Ballinasloe Train Station
0859  Booterstown DART Station
3277  Boyle Train Station
0857  Bray DART Train Station
0900  Carlow Train Station
0916  Castlebar Train Station
1181  Ceannt Train Station (Galway)
0914  Charleville Train Station
0873  Clara Train Station
0860  Clontarf Road DART Station
1609  Colbert Station Limerick
1135  Collooney Train Station
3223  Connolly Train Station
0896  Coolmine Train Station
0858  Dalkey DART Station
0841  Donabate Train Station
0837  Drogheda Train Station
0836  Dundalk Train Station
0891  Edgeworthstown Train Station
0950  Enfield Train Station
0913  Ennis Train Station
1060  Farranfore Train Station
0902  Gorey Train Station
0842  Gormanstown Train Station
0879  Hazelhatch Train Station
3278  Heuston Train Station
3222  Kent Train Station
0877  Kildare Train Station
0910  Kilkenny Train Station
3225  Killarney Train Station
0861  Killester DART Station
0839  Laytown Train Station
0895  Leixlip Confey
0894  Leixlip Louisa Bridge Station
1075  Limerick Junction Station
0890  Longford Train Station
1635  MacDonagh Junction, Kilkenny
0555  Malahide Dart Station
0915  Mallow Train Station
0893  Maynooth Train Station
0876  Monasterevin Train Station
0892  Mullingar Train Station
0878  Newbridge Train Station
0875  Portarlington Train Station
0874  Portlaoise Train Station
0550  Portmarnock Dart Station
0904  Rathdrum Train Station
0822  Rosslare Europort
0986  Rosslare Train Station
0508  Rush and Lusk Train Station
3252  Sallins Train Station
0840  Skerries Train Station
3202  Sligo (Mac Diarmada) Railway Station
0862  Sutton DART Station
0912  Templemore Train Station
0911  Thurles Train Station
3224  Tralee Train Station
3226  Tullamore Train Station
1069  Waterford Train Station
0917  Westport Train Station
0903  Wicklow Train Station

Some of our car parking location codes have changed, please see below. For the rest of our car park location codes please go 'Where do I find my Iarnród Éireann car parking location code?'

Code Car Park Location
3277  Boyle Train Station
3223  Connolly Train Station
3278  Heuston Train Station
3222  Kent Train Station
3225  Killarney Train Station
3252  Sallins Train Station
3202  Sligo (Mac Diarmada) Railway Station
3224  Tralee Train Station
3226  Tullamore Train Station
 

Yes you can. Car parking is available from Monday to Sunday. To purchase parking please download the APCOA Connect app.

If you have given consent for your details to be passed to APCOA, they have received your details. APCOA are currently working on migrating details of your pass so that you can see it in your APCOA Connect account.

Customers who try to book with an International card can sometimes experience booking issues. As some International banks do not use 3D Secure, the issuing bank can decline some international transactions. If you are trying to book with an American card for example we advise customers to notify their bank before attempting to book on irishrail.ie. 

Most EU Banks use 3D Secure or some variation during the payment process to authenticate the users credentials. If you experience issues with your online booking we suggest that you try and make your booking with another debit/credit card just to rule the card out as an issue. If you are still experiencing issues please contact your bank for further information.

If you are unable to make a online booking you can contact our Call Centre

You have requested a new password for your www.irishrail.ie  account. Please follow the instructions below to reset your password and gain access to your account.

How to Reset your password:

1. Click the 'Rest Password' Button in the 'reset my password' email or copy and paste the link provided
2. You will then be brought to a 'Create Password' screen.
3. Simply enter your new password. Your new password should be a minimum of 8 characters and contain at least one number, one symbol, one capital and one lower case letter, example - Ireland123!

Irishrail.ie currently uses hypertext transfer protocol (http) and is a fully safe and secure website. During the booking flow you will be transferred from a 'http' to a 'https' environment where additional security is provided. If you encounter issues while booking on our website through your company environment, please ask your Administrator to exclude www.irishrail.ie from their exclusion list. To book directly in a 'https' environment please use the following link - https://booking.cf.irishrail.ie

 

We offer a wide range of ticketing options which provide different levels of flexibility. With a 'Flexible Fare' amendments or cancellations can be made online up to 90 minutes before departure if ticket has not been printed.

If customers are unsure of their return travel plans we would advise customers to make two separate bookings as return tickets include both legs of travel on the one ticket.

For more information on our ticketing options, please see our Tickets Explained section. 

First Class is only available on Cork services and not on Limerick or Tralee direct services.

If you are travelling to/from Limerick you can avail of First Class between Limerick Junction and Dublin Heuston on services that require a change-over. 

If you are travelling to/from Tralee you can avail of First Class between Mallow and Dublin Heuston on services that require a change-over. 

When booking we would advise customers to book a standard ticket from Limerick or Tralee to/from Dublin Heuston, ensuring that you select a service with a changeover. Then you can buy a 'First Class Upgrade' at the Station or Online, to travel First Class between Limerick Junction or Mallow to/from Dublin Heuston.

To buy the First Class Upgrade online simply add the required number of passengers to ‘Reservation Only’ on the Journey Planner and hit ‘Go’. Once the results load you will see the 'First Class Upgrade', please ensure that you select the same service as originally booked for Limerick or Tralee to/from Dublin Heuston. 

Depending on the nature of the incident, Iarnród Éireann may be required to pass your information to the Gardaí, particularly if the Gardaí are investigating criminal activity on the DART or at stations and you are a witness to the commission of a crime.

Your personal details obtained from the text will not be disclosed to Staff (apart from those who designated to operate the Service) or to third parties. The aim of the text Service is to invite customers to text discreetly, to report an incident of anti-social behaviour.

We do not envisage stopping the service as a result of reported anti-social behaviour. 

However, in the event of an emergency or safety related incident, Iarnrod Éireann will follow normal protocols and a service or services may be disrupted.   

We use the number 51444 as our text number.  This number is provided to us for use by Sendmode. Other services use the 51444 number, meaning that it is a shared number. 

However, by using the keyword “TRAIN” in your text, this designates your text as belonging to the Iarnrod Éireann Text Service, and it means that your text is directed to us (and specifically to the designated and Iarnrod Éireann Staff teams who will review and act on it.

Iarnród Éireann, on its own behalf and the behalf of any contractor, subcontractor, agent or partner of Iarnród Éireann, does not accept any responsibility for any technical failure or malfunction or any other problem in any network, system, server, provider, or otherwise which may result in any text sent via the Service being lost or not properly sent or received or responded to. 

Customers and other users of the Service hereby waive any claim whatsoever against Iarnrod Eireann for any liability, loss, costs, damages and expenses arising from any such problems or arising as a result of or in connection with using the Service.

No.  Iarnród Éireann will not share your personal information with third parties except as necessary to address the information contained in your text message through the Train Text Service and as identified in the Terms and FAQs and our Privacy Policy. 

The information you provide as part of the Iarnrod Eireann Text Service will not be used for the purposes of marketing to you. 

As identified in these Terms and FAQs, Iarnród Éireann contracts with third-party service providers to assist with the Text Service. 

Our service providers are required to keep confidential the information received on behalf of Iarnród Éireann and may not use it for any purpose other than to carry out the services they are performing for Iarnród Éireann. These service providers may change or we may contract with additional service providers to better accommodate our customers. 

You have the right under applicable Data Protection Laws to access personal data held about you. You also have the right to the rectification of inaccurate data and the erasure of Personal Data where there is no longer a legal ground for processing of the information as per the Iarnród Éireann Data Retention Policy.

You have the following rights (S4 of the IÉ Data Protection Policy, May 2018), in certain circumstances and subject to certain restrictions, in relation to your personal data:

• the right to access your personal data;
• the right to request the rectification and or erasure of your personal data;
• the right to restrict the use of your personal data;
• the right to object to the processing of your personal data, where we are processing it based on this being necessary for the purposes of our, or of a third party’s legitimate interest;
• the right to receive your personal data, which you provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format or to require us to transmit that data to another controller, where we are processing the data based on your consent of that this is necessary for the performance of a contract with you.

In order to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact our Data Protection Officer on dpo@irishrail.ie

 If you have any questions about how your personal data is collected and processed, you can review our Privacy Policy (which includes information about data processing in the context of the Iarnrod Éireann Text Service).

You can also contact us by email on dpo@irishrail.ie

Our text service provider, Sendmode, will receive your data to assist us in operating the Iarnrod Éireann Text Service.  

Depending on the nature of the incident, Iarnrod Éireann may be required to pass your information to the Gardaí, particularly if the Gardaí are investigating criminal activity on the DART, or at any DART station and you are a witness to the commission of a crime. 

In addition, we may need to pass your information to our insurers or legal advisers as part of any claim in relation to the reported incident. 

Where data is shared it will be governed by a contract in line with the Iarnrod Éireann Data Protection Policy, May 2018.

The legal bases on which we collect, process and transfer personal data relating to you in the manner described above are:

• To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations under the CIÉ Bye Laws 1984 and the Railway Safety Act 2005

Iarnród Éireann is committed to ensuring the lawful, fair and transparent collection of data. Personal Data shall be collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes.Personal Data shall be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject. In this instance there are legitimate interests for collecting this data.

The purpose of this processing is to enable Iarnrod Éireann to track and appropriately deal with anti-social behaviour on the DART or at the train station and or to track and appropriately deal with damage to property. 

For more information about our processing of personal information as part of the Iarnrod Éireann Text Service, please see our Privacy Policy.

The text service is not free because Iarnród Éireann was advised that a free text service may have resulted in more hoax or non-genuine texts being received.

The aim of the text service is to improve the customer experience while not disrupting the service to deal with prank texts. 

Yes for the cost of sending the text.

The message rate depends on the user's mobile operator and particular price plan to which they are signed up.

For information on the standard message rate that applies, contact your mobile operator. 

A standard text is 155 Characters.

The text service operates during DART operational hours.

You will know that your message is received because on receipt of your text message, an automated message will be sent to you to advise you that if your text relates to a safety incident and or an emergency, you should call the Gardaí on 999 or 112.

You do not need to wait on the DART or at the station to ensure that Iarnrod Éireann has responded to the concern raised.  All messages related to anti-social behaviour will be responded to in accordance with Iarnrod Éireann protocols.  

• On receipt of your text message, an automated message will be sent to you by our service provider, Sendmode to advise you that your text must relate to anti-social behaviour and if your text relates to a safety incident and or an emergency, you should call the Gardaí on 999 or 112. 

• If your text is reporting anti-social behaviour, staff will review the report and will follow Iarnród Éireann protocols to follow-up (including with you if necessary) about the incident.

When you text TRAIN to 51444, your text message is received (firstly) by our service provider, Sendmode and is then passed to or is accessible by designated Iarnród Éireann staff for investigation. 

This is always subject to any system or network issues or time delays. 

Anti-social behaviour should be reported using the Text Service.  Anti-social behaviour occurs when a person acts in a way that causes or may cause another person harassment, significant or persistent alarm, distress, fear or intimidation, or impairs their use or enjoyment of their property, or of DART or of Iarnrod Éireann property in a significant or persistent way.

Anti-social behaviour that may be reported using the Text Service includes (but is not limited to) public intoxication, disorderly conduct, vandalism, or abusive or insulting behaviour. 

Examples of emergencies include (but are not limited to) when:

• Someone’s life is at risk;
• A crime is happening now;
• Someone is injured or threatened;
• You need an ambulance urgently;  
• There is a fire. 

For safety-related incidents emergencies, always call 999 or 112.

Text the keyword “TRAIN”, along with your report of anti-social behaviour, to 51444 

It’s important that you use the keyword 'TRAIN', as the text number 51444 is a Shared Text Service – using “TRAIN” means that the text is directed to Iarnrod Éireann Irish Rail.

Use the text service when you see incidents of anti-social behaviour on board a DART or at a DART station that you believe should be reported to improve the overall customer experience.

For safety-related incidents emergencies, always call 999 or 112.

The Text SMS Service is a service which allows customers to discreetly report incidents of anti-social behaviour on board a DART or at a DART station.  

An electric car may park free of charge at designated charging bays only for the purpose of re-charging the vehicle’s power supply. If electric car is not charging parking fees will apply.

Yes Irish Rail provides RSS Feeds.

Please see the Irish Rail RSS feed links below:

• www.irishrail.ie/rss/service  this link provides an RSS feed for our service section.
• www.irishrail.ie/rss/news  this link provides an RSS feed for our news story section.
• www.irishrail.ie/rss/offers  this link provides an RSS feed for our special offers section.
• www.irishrail.ie/rss/news_service  this link provides an RSS feed for our news and service section (combines news and service together).

Iarnród Éireann is not affiliated with or otherwise involved in the development, marketing or other distribution of any applications to do with Iarnród Éireann.

Please go to our App Developers area

For more information on accessing irishrail.ie with a disability please visit our website accessibility page.

The journey that you have selected may not be bookable for several reasons. Below are some of the reasons why there are no online tickets available to book - 

1. All of the available ticket types (Low, Semi Flex and Full Flex) are sold out online.
2. The future booking date selected is beyond 90 days in advance. Our services can only be booked up to 90 days from the current date.
3. The booking query is being made less than 60 minutes prior to the train departure.
4. The origin or destination station/s selected may be within the suburban area and may not be bookable online. Tickets for these locations should be bought at your local station either at the booking office or from a ticket vending machine (TVM)
5. The booking dates may be blocked off due to planned engineering works. Once the revised schedule has been finalised, these services will be available to book once again.
6. There may be a technical issue with our booking system.

For further information please contact the Digital Channels Department or our Customer Care Team.
 

Subject to the Railway Order being successfully granted by An Bord Pleanála it is expected that construction stage work will commence in 2022 and will be completed/operational in 2025.

Railway Order application is broadly similar to the planning application process. The project is categorised as Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) and Iarnród Éireann applies directly to An Bord Pleanála for permission. The Railway Order application process is set out in the Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act 2001 as amended by the Strategic Infrastructure Act 2006. Following two phases of public consultation, we will submit the Railway Order application. Any person or body may make a submission or observation in writing to An Bord Pleanála in relation to the application and / or the Environmental Impact Assessment Report. The Railway Order application will include a number of technical documents and project drawings and an Environmental Impact Assessment Report. All of these documents and drawings together with any feedback/submissions received from the public as part of the statutory public consultation process will be reviewed and considered by An Bord Pleanála before a decision on the application is made. We expect that An Bord Pleanála will conduct an Oral Hearing before they make a decision. At an Oral Hearing the authors of relevant reports and experts will give evidence on the submissions received and will be available for questioning. Further information on making a submission / observation in writing to the Board and Oral Hearing procedures are available from the Board’s website

The Maynooth Line Transport Study (CSEA/Systra, July 2019) is the reference document in relation to the traffic impact appraisal of level crossing closures and the traffic mitigation provided by providing additional bridges across the rail/canal corridor. This is provided in Annex 3.1 of the Preliminary Option Selection Report provided on the Public Consultation website. Section 3 of this report (Page 32) provides information on all automatic traffic counts (35 No.) and junction turning counts (48 No.) undertaken. Figure 3.1 and Figure 3.11 shows the locations of each automatic traffic count and junction turning count. This information was used to calibrate and validate the local area model, to provide an accurate representation of traffic movements within the study area. Section 4.2 of this report (Page 56) details the overall methodology followed in the road based assessment.

Please download our App from the Google Play or the App Store. If you have any questions about the App please contact Digital@irishrail.ie

The overall ambition is to roll this Passenger Assistance App across all rail services if successful. The DART system was chosen for the pilot project as it has only 2 directional lines (North & South), is within a contained geographical area, has short distances between stations, and has high numbers of accessibility journeys undertaken every day.

Any journey between two DART stations according to your usual usage patterns, using the application to book assistance.

No. We want to test the app’s ability to request assistance and record journeys. Your assistance request will be confirmed through the app.

Operatives at all the DART stations will also be testing a Passenger Assistance App that is specific to managing requests that come in.

Yes. Some passengers who require assistance will not be engaged in this trial and therefore bookings will available through phoning a hub station within a zone.

Currently it is recommended individuals book assistance 4hours ahead of their journey. Throughout the development of this prototype, our aim is to reduce this notice. A final notice time will be made clear ahead of trial commencement to the user group.

• You will need use of your own iPhone. (iPhone 5s/6 or later)
• You will need to be comfortable using an app to receive information and book your assistance required on your journeys.
• You should have regular experience travelling by DART.

By agreeing to take part, you understand and agree that we (Iarnród Éireann and our creative partner Publicis Dublin)  may store and process your data as follows:

Data

Your name, address, email, phone number, journey information (including date, time and journey stations) and journey progress (in the form of GPS updates), how you use the app, and any feedback you may supply on individual journeys and your experience as a whole.

Why?

In order to coordinate the trial, communicate with you during the trial, ensure we are aware of passenger locations throughout the trial, check we are testing all DART stations in the trial, check levels of service at all times of the day/week, provide you with a travel credit (if required) and notify you of further testing/trial opportunities for this app.

How long?

For up to a year after the end of the initial trial.

Where?

On secure servers in Ireland. The system will use the latest encryption standards and the entire project will be GDPR compliant. The data will not be shared with third parties.

Iarnród Éireann and Publicis Dublin will need to store and process your data in order to facilitate your access to the app for the trial, and to determine the outcomes of the project. We will ask you to confirm your agreement to all terms of the trial (including how your data will be processed) before you gain access to the app.

In order to take part in the trial you confirm that you will not allow anyone else to use the app or give anyone else your login details (we need to know how an individual uses the app, not groups of individuals). You also confirm that you will not share your views, experiences or any information you receive by taking part with anyone else. This includes the media, other train operating companies and social media.

Publicis Dublin are Iarnród Éireann’s creative partner. We work with them across a range of projects. They are working with us to help develop this Passenger Assistance prototype app.

Yes, if you don’t have a Free Travel Public Service card, we will provide you with a Leap card and travel credit on DART for the trial period.

 

If your train is delayed, any assistance booked will still be available unless otherwise communicated. Through the app, you will be able to cancel your own attendance as well as receive notification regarding changes to service.

A Master Hub will be notified of any disruptions that occur that may mean a break in service for an individual requiring assistance (prior to boarding or during journey). An operative from this Master Hub will then contact you directly to come to the best resolution.

If something goes wrong with the app itself you will have access to an email you can deliver feedback to the development team.

The phone numbers of the hub stations will also be available, so you will still be able to book assistance manually or contact an operative. You will additionally have access to a specific contact number in case of an emergency.

Customers looking to book a bike online should follow the below steps:

1. Please use our Journey Planner
2. Enter your Origin and Destination, no. of passengers and dates of travel
3. Click the tick box 'Show bike availability'
4. Select 'Go' to complete your Journey Planner search
5. Only services with available bike spaces will display
6. Select the journey and ticket type required
7. When you wish to proceed please select 'Book Tickets'
8. On the 'Extras' page select the bike/s required and select 'Next Steps'
9. Upon completion of your online booking the additional bike/s options will be confirmed

For more information on the carriage of bicycles, please see our Bicycle Information page

From the 7th October 2024, the carriage of e-scooters on-board rail services is prohibited for safety reasons and to help prevent the risk of on-board combustion. This includes those that can be folded or carried, as per the guidance document published by the National Transport Authority (NTA). Further information can be found on the NTA website. 

No, rail tickets are VAT exempt. If you require proof of purchase, we recommend that you present your ticket and booking confirmation email, (where applicable). 

A Young Adult card is a TFI Leap Card that can be used to pay for travel by anyone who is 19 to 25 years old, up to their 26th birthday. The user’s name and photograph is printed on it

This card can only be purchased online at leapcard.ie. You will need to upload proof of your age and take a live selfie when ordering the card online.

The earliest you can apply for a Young Adult card is two weeks before your 19th birthday.

Yes, you will be asked to upload an image of your valid Passport, EU National ID, Drivers Licence or Learner Permit

You will be asked to upload an image of your valid Passport, EU National ID, Drivers Licence or Learner Permit

This card can only be purchased online at leapcard.ie. Go to the buy menu and select the card type from the drop down. You’ll need to complete the application details, upload a photo and pay for the card during the application process.
 

The card is free to purchase, however, there is a €5 deposit and a €5 minimum travel credit requirement to proceed with the application.
 

For a Young Adult Card you’ll need to upload an image of your valid Passport, EU National ID, Drivers Licence or Learner Permit, a selfie taken during the application to verify your identity against your ID and you card payment details
 

Young Adult cards will usually be posted within 5 working days. Student Leap Cards will need to be collected in person at a Student Leap Agent where student status verification will take place.
 

You will received an email stating the reason why the application was rejected and the payment made as part of the application will be refunded
 

Refunds will need to be requested by logging into your account on leapcard.ie
 

No, you can continue to use your existing card until its expiry date and you will get the best fare. Student Leap Card fares are the same as Young Adult 19-23 Leap Card fares.
 

If you don’t have the documents present at the time of application we recommend you wait until you can provide a copy before completing the application. If you don’t have any of the documents at all, there is an option of uploading non-standard documents for verification. This process can take up to 3 weeks, may require face-to-face verification and does not guarantee final application approval.
 

You can apply for a personalised card up to 2 weeks before your birthday, i.e. 19 yr – 2weeks for a Young Adult (19-23). Your card will expire on your birthday, i.e. your 24^th birthday for a Young Adult (19-23). For a Student (24 yr +), customers need to be in full-time education
 

Young Adult and Student Leap single fares are up to 50% cheaper than Adult Leap fares. This is on top of the 20% reduction that adults are receiving.
 

All TFI Leap enabled routes get Leap discounts when using a TFI Leap Card.
 

The Young Adult card (19-23) eligibility is defined by age, so all customers in that age bracket are eligible regardless of educational status.
 

Student eligibility, i.e. full-time status, needs to be verified in person at Student Leap Agent
 

Student Cards are only applicable to people who are 24 years old and over. 18 year olds are eligible for a Child Card (16-18) until their 19^th birthday. Then, when they’re turning 19, they will qualify for a Young Adult Card (19-23)
 

If the customer received an email with a ref number they should be able to continue the application with those details.
 

Yes, payments are taken before card verification. The refund is issued automatically if the verification is unsuccessful so the customer doesn’t have to request it.
 

Emails will be issued to applicants with the reason why the verification failed.
 

Caps are being discounted by 20% on average from the 9^th May. A new capping band for Young Adult/Students will be introduced on that day which is 50% less than adult.
 

These percentage discounts tend not to be a direct reduction in the price of an individual Fare or Ticket, but the averaged reduction over all for all Fares/Tickets.
All fares will be reduced by the closest % to 20% giving a multiple of 5 amount, so the discount will be between 18% and 22%, i.e. €1.15 reducing to €0.90 (-21.7%) or €0.80 reducing to €0.65 (-18.8%)
 

The 20% discount will be valid from the on all services by 9^th May.
 

It applies to all eligible Transport for Ireland services, including Dublin Bus, Luas, Irish Rail, Local Link and Go Ahead Ireland
 

Yes

Yes, from the 9^th May; but note the 20% is discounted off the €2.50 fare which was planned; so the new TFI 90 minute fare is €2.00 for adults
 

Yes, the 20% applies to all Leap fares and tickets
 

No. Cash fares will also be discounted by 20%, however, Leap fares, which are on average 30% cheaper than cash fares, are only available with a TFI Leap Card.
 

Yes, fares for tickets purchase via the TFI GO will be subject to the fare reduction
 

It is anticipated that the 20% reduced fares will be applicable until the end of 2022. Customer communications will be issued in advance of any fare update
 

The 50% discount will be valid from the 11^th April on all Bus Éireann and other eligible TFI services outside the Dublin area. From the 9^th May it will be available on all the remaining TFI services (GDA)
 

Yes, all fares have been reduced by 20%, so the 50% discount has been applied to the reduced adult fare
 

It applies to all eligible Transport for Ireland services, including Dublin Bus, Luas, Irish Rail, Local Link and Go Ahead Ireland
 

The 50% discount applies to Young Adult/Student Leap Card single fares only

Yes, the new TFI 90 fare for Young Adult/Students will be €1
 

No, Leap tickets are only subject to the 20% fare reduction
 

The 50 percent discount will only be available to existing Student Leap Card holders and customers who avail of the TFI Young Adults (19 – 25 years) or Student Leap Cards
 

The new Young Adult/Student card will going on sale until the 9^th May, so the earliest we expect to see them in circulation is the 11^th May, until then the only card in use will be the existing blue SLC (Student Leap Card)
Post 9^th May all three cards will be valid – the existing SLC card’s expiry date is set up as 31/12/2022, so it won’t be valid as a flash ID past this date
The card used for the new Young Adult and Student is the same. The differences are on the personalised fields, so name, card type and expiry date, from a revenue protection point of view when used as a flash ID, the expiry date will be the one to watch out for.
 

It is recommended that children travelling alone are aged 12 years and older. Parental discretion is advised. Iarnród Éireann does not provide nor is there any duty on Iarnród Éireann to provide any supervision on its passenger services.
 

Find one of our free water filling stations at the following stations: 

• Dublin Connolly
• Dublin Pearse 
• Dublin Heuston
• Dundalk
• Athlone
• Galway
• Tralee
• Killarney

Customers are advised of the following when travelling on Iarnrod Éireann Irish Rail  DART, Commuter Rail and Intercity services.

Travelling by Intercity Rail on Iarnrod Éireann Irish Rail
Present your Public Services Card/Free Travel Card at a ticket desk where you will be issued with a ticket for travel. Please use this ticket to enter through the gates.
 
Travelling in the Short Hop Zone on Iarnrod Eireann Irish Rail DART and Commuter services (see map)
Touch your card on a Smartcard gate/machine or pole when entering and exiting the stations or platforms. You must touch your card on the smartcard gate/machine or pole at both sides of your journey.
 
Travelling to Northern Ireland
Free Travel Pass holder/s should present their Free Pass/PSC Card at the Ticket Office to get a ticket for travel

Terms and Conditions of Travel - 
Please Note - You can only avail of Free Travel if you have a valid Public Services Card or a valid Free Travel Pass with you.

Failure to present your Card/Pass on request to a ticket inspector or driver, or to comply with instructions, may result in you being asked to pay a fare for the trip or you may be issued with a fixed penalty notice.
 

Yes, you are welcome to breastfeed in all public places, including within stations and on-board services.

Route: Dublin to Cork, Fleet: Mark IV, Coach G.

The Quieter coach will commence from Monday 7th November

Following feedback through our Disability User Group from customers with a disability, particularly those customers with Autism, Asperger’s, Brain injuries, Alzheimer’s and Dementia, a Quieter coach was requested to offer an enhanced experience when travelling on Mark IV, Iarnród Éireann intercity services.

300,000 with the disabilities listed above could potentially benefit from using the Quieter coach. 

No, the Quieter coach is available for all customers.

In the Quieter coach, the noise should be kept down. Music through headphones should be kept quiet enough as to not disturb other customers and conversations should be conducted quietly. 

The door of Coach G will be branded as Quieter Coach. 

Inside the Quieter coach there will be internal decals advising customers that they are sitting in a Quieter Coach. The PIS scroll will state that Coach G is the Quieter coach.


 

When the customer clicks into Coach G, the Quieter coach header and purple seats will appear as per display below. 

Yes, London North Eastern Railway have been operating a Quieter coach and feedback from customers has been positive.

Nearly 90 per cent of respondents to a Transport for New South Wales in Australia survey on the quieter coach trial said travelling in quieter carriages had improved their overall travel experience.
 

There are no plans at present to introduce the Quieter coach on other routes.

If you are having trouble amending your booking, please ensure you are entering the booking reference number when logging in to 'Manage My Booking'.

Your booking reference number is 8 digits, generally beginning with 6, while your Ticket Collection Number contained in your email confirmation is 11 digits and used to collect your ticket from Ticket Vending Machines in stations. Example booking number: '65678978'.

Please also ensure the email address provided is the one used when making the booking.
If you are still encountering difficulty please contact us.

An allocation of bookings on all InterCity services can be reserved online without a fee for 'Free Travel Pass or valid ticket holders'. When this allocation is fully booked, all remaining seats can be reserved by 'Free Travel Pass or valid ticket holders' for €2.50 per journey.

Priority Seating is available on all our services and are available for those who need them most, like customers with a disability which can often be hidden, a customer who is pregnant and elderly customers.
Hidden disability, sometimes termed invisible disability, is defined as a disability that is not immediately apparent. 80% of disabilities are invisible.
The Priority Seating area is located close to the entrance on all our train sets to make it as easy as possible for customers.
Most people are happy to give up their seat to someone more in need of it. Simply show your JAM card or Please Offer Me A Seat badge to someone sitting in a priority seat and they’ll see that you have a need for one of these seats. 
Our customers have told us that this helps to avoid embarrassment. You are not guaranteed a seat if the priority seats are already taken by others with priority cards or who otherwise needs to sit down.