Iarnród Éireann Website Accessibility

Iarnród Éireann Website Accessibility Statement

Iarnród Éireann is committed to making its websites and mobile applications accessible, in accordance with European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020. 

This accessibility statement applies to the below websites and applications: 

1. Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail - www.irishrail.ie
2. The official Iarnród Éireann mobile app (available in iOS and Android versions): 

• Link to Iarnród Éireann official Android App in the Google Play store.
• Link to Iarnród Éireann official iOS App in the Apple store

The Iarnród Éireann websites and applications are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 level AA , due to issues listed below. 

• Journey Planner accessibility
• Portable Document Format (PDF) accessibility
• Seat Selection
• Fares Calculator
• Fare Grid Charts
• Colour Contrast issues 
• Apps
• Themed Graphics
• Fixed Payment Notice section
• QR ticketing
• Heritage Map

Journey Planner accessibility

Users of assistive technology may encounter accessibility issues when selecting their journey origin/destination, passenger selection and date/time on the homepage of www.irishrail.ie.

Users of assistive technology experiencing difficulty should use our alternative Journey Planner which currently has a higher degree of accessibility. The Iarnród Éireann supplier is currently working on implementing fixes to these accessibility issues within the Journey Planner on the homepage. 

Users of assistive technology or persons with disabilities may also contact (01) 8366 222 / 0818 366222 from 07:00 -19:00 Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) and 08:00 -18:00 Saturday and Sunday including Bank Holidays for phone assistance when using the Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail website or for assistance in completing a booking.

Portable Document Format (PDF) accessibility

Various PDFs located on the Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail website are currently partially inaccessible. Examples of partially inaccessible PDFs include (but are not limited to):

1. PDF timetables by station and timetables by route: We advise users of assistive technology to use our Journey Planner when searching train times on our website as this has a higher degree of accessibility.
2. Bridge Heights: This PDF map contains a wide variety of images and information and currently there is no accessible alternative. Iarnród Éireann are currently working with their accessibility partners to develop an accessible alternative to the Bridge Heights PDF.
3. Iarnród Éireann Annual Reports: These documents are not fully accessible. Work is ongoing to make accessibility improvements to these PDF documents (published after September 2018 as per the scope of the legislation).
4. Iarnród Éireann Network Statements are not fully accessible. Work is ongoing to make accessibility improvements to these PDF documents (published after September 2018 as per the scope of the legislation).

Iarnród Éireann is in the process of upskilling and educating staff on how to create accessible PDFs using accessibility tools e.g. ‘Accessibility Checker’ in Adobe Acrobat prior to these being published on the website. Iarnród Éireann is also working to ensure PDFs on the Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail website have alternative text equivalent for images, and that the table structure within PDF documents is logical and coherent. 

Seat Selection

Accessibility issues in relation to the "Manual Seat Selection" option have been identified, where website users may encounter difficulty manually selecting their seat on-board during the booking flow. Iarnród Éireann are working with the website supplier to resolve these issues. As an alternative, any user having difficulty manually selecting their seat should use the "Automatic Seat Selection" option when booking online.

Fares Calculator

The fares calculator widget on various Rail Fares and Information pages has various accessibility issues to users of Screen Readers and other assistive technology. Users of assistive technology or persons with disabilities may contact (01) 8366 222 / 0818 366222 from 07:00 -19:00 Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) and 08:00 -18:00 Saturday and Sunday including Bank Holidays for phone assistance when using the Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail website or to request fare information. 

Fare Grid Charts 

Fare grid charts (an image containing a combination of letters and numbers which communicate the relevant fare) available to users on the Fares & Tickets page are fully inaccessible. Users of screen readers currently experiencing difficulty accessing the fares information should please contact us via the channels below for any fares information required.

Members of the public wishing to notify Iarnród Éireann of any accessibility failures they encounter or to request information about or assistance with accessing any content or functionality that is inaccessible, should make contact with the Iarnród Éireann Digital Channels Department or the Accessibility Officer via webform or email access@irishrail.ie. 

Users of assistive technology or persons with disabilities may also contact (01) 8366 222 / 0818 366222 from 07:00 -19:00 Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) and 08:00 -18:00 Saturday and Sunday including Bank Holidays for phone assistance when using the Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail website or to request fare information.

Colour Contrast issues 

Some colour contrast issues have been identified in foreground and background colours on the Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail website. Iarnród Éireann, with the guidance of our accessibility consultants, is engaging with suppliers to ensure the contrast between foreground and background colours meets WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratio thresholds.

Apps 

Certain issues have been highlighted in recent accessibility audits of the Iarnród Éireann mobile apps related to colour contrast, labelling and assistive technology tools. The Iarnród Éireann App supplier is currently working on implementing fixes to these WCAG 2.1 Level A issues within the mobile Apps. WCAG 2.1 Level AA issues will be covered under future contracts with the supplier.

Themed Graphics

Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail publishes various themed graphics on the homepage of the website to celebrate seasonal holidays and mark national events, for example a Christmas-themed homepage with a train graphic travelling across the homepage.

These themed pages may cause issues for users with cognitive impairments. Please note Iarnród Éireann has implemented a 'Pause' button which will pause the themed graphic on the page if the user so wishes. Users of the Iarnród Éireann website are advised that these themed pages are purely decorative in nature and interaction with these graphics is not required to use the website. 

Fixed Payment Notice section

Some accessibility issues have been identified to users of the Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail website wishing to pay a Fixed Payment Notice online. Iarnród Éireann, with the assistance of our accessibility consultants, is engaging with suppliers to ensure these accessibility issues are resolved.

Users of assistive technology or persons with disabilities may also contact (01) 8366 222 / 0818 366222 from 07:00 -19:00 Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) and 08:00 -18:00 Saturday and Sunday including Bank Holidays to pay a Fixed Payment Notice on the Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail website. 

QR ticketing  

Iarnród Éireann has introduced QR ticketing to customers as an alternative to printing their ticket from a Ticket Vending Machine in stations. Currently these PDF tickets are inaccessible to assistive technology such as Screen Readers. The Iarnród Éireann website supplier is currently working on making these PDF tickets accessible. As an alternative to QR/PDF ticketing, users with additional accessibility needs are advised to continue to use the exisiting Ticket Fulfillment process and collect their ticket from Ticket Vending Machines in station.  

Heritage Maps 

Iarnród Éireann in collaboration with the Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Heritage Council and heritagemaps.ie provide historical map data on the railway network and it's infrastructure dating back to the creation of the railway network in Ireland. In recent audits, several accessibility issues have been highlighted with this map, and Iarnród Éireann hopes to make an accessible alternative available to website users soon.

Limitations 

Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility of the Iarnród Éireann digital platforms, there may be some limitations. Above are details of known limitations, and potential solutions or alternatives. Please contact us if you observe an issue not listed above.

This statement was prepared on 4th April 2022 by the Digital Channels Department of Iarnród Éireann following an audit of the website and applications by National Disability Authority (NDA) of Ireland.

This statement was last reviewed on 29th February 2024. 

Complaints

Complaints under the Equal Status Act 2000 (No. 8 of 2000) and/or the Disability Act 2005 (No. 14 of 2005)  

If you wish to register a complaint under the Equal Status Act 2000 (No. 8 of 2000) or the Disability Act 2005 (No. 14 of 2005) please contact the Iarnród Éireann Accessibility Officer via webform or email access@irishrail.ie. 

Contact Details 

Members of the public wishing to notify Iarnród Éireann of any accessibility failures they encounter, or to request information about or assistance with accessing any content or functionality that is inaccessible, should make contact with the Iarnród Éireann Digital Channels Department or the Accessibility Officer via webform or email access@irishrail.ie. 

Users of assistive technology or persons with disabilities may also contact (01) 8366 222 / 0818 366222 from 07:00 -19:00 Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) and 08:00 -18:00 Saturday and Sunday including Bank Holidays for phone assistance when using the Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail website. 

Browser & App accessibility tips and tricks

While we have endeavoured to make this website accessible for all users, there may be some instances where a visually impaired user may find that their experience can be improved by leveraging browser plugins and features. Here you will find guidance on how to configure your browser or operating device for higher contrast viewing.

All text on this site is relatively sized and can be increased or decreased by using your browsers default zoom.

See below for guidance on how to configure your browser or operating system for higher contrast viewing on irishrail.ie.

Google Chrome

Google have developed the high contrast plugin for chrome which allows the user to toggle between a range of different high contrast styles on any website.

Alternatively, it is possible to change chromes settings manually by navigating to chrome://settings/

Firefox

There is a 3rd party extension available for Firefox called dark background and light text which allows the user to toggle between a range of different high contrast styles on any website.

Alternatively, it is possible to manually change some of these settings by navigating to about:preferences

Safari

Safari offer limited configuration from within the browser bay navigating to Preferences > General

It is recommended to configure the global operating system accessibility settings which can be viewed by navigating to System Preferences > Accessibility

Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer

It is recommended to configure the global operating system accessibility settings which can be viewed by navigating to

Settings > Ease of access

Here you can select between different high contrast themes and change zoom settings.

iOS and Android App

Our journey planner, live trains and live map are also available on the Irish Rail app for iOS & Android. Both devices offer native text to voice functionality which can help assist users with visual impairments to navigate the application.