Cork to Galway via Dublin fares

[Eddie]

Several Cork to Galway options are offered via Dublin Heuston for €9.99 (in addition to those options via Limerick) right up to the day before departure.

The same individually booked Cork to Dublin and Dublin to Galway trains cost significantly more, and increase as you get closer to the departure date.

I am sure there'll be something in the T&C that says you can't only use such a dual leg ticket for one leg only, but offering such a significant discount for twice the journey is probably not a good idea.

It doesn't seem to apply to any other long distance route.

[haddockman]

Would such tickets operate the exit barriers at Heuston?

[Eddie]

I don't know. If I was to undertake this 2 legged journey, I would want to be able to utilise a wider range of refreshments available from the outlets at Heuston compared to the trollies on the trains and use the waiting time between trains to obtain such refreshments and so I'd ask to be let through the barriers. I think most inspectors would see this as a reasonable request and oblige.

If the ticket price was just the sum of two journeys there'd be no issue.

But because the ticket price is way below either individual journey, you introduce the risk that passengers might buy the longer journey ticket and only use one leg, if they know they can get through.

Irish Rail might even turn a blind eye, even if they know it is happening, since the ticket purchase might count as a passenger that's used the WRC, justifying its existence.

Incidentally, there are also some journeys shown between Limerick and Galway that go via Dublin for the same €9.99.