People should check the error that the gate displays on the LCD panel of the ticket gate. Common errors include "Wrong way up" and "ticket failed" which just mean that the magnetic stripe on that particular ticket is illegible. "No valid route" or "destination exceeded", on the other hand, means that there's a logic error with the gates and/or the ticket.

We have another thread where people can post issues with the ticket gates (at Heuston or anywhere); if there is a series of issues we will aggregate it and send on to IÉ.

Fairly clear someone has forgotten to program

If exiting & destination = 299 -> open

I have a monthly ticket, without the City Centre add-on, and it's been fine for me so far.

What I found weird was that on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings I arrived at Heuston on platform 2. There must have been 15 to 20 gates available for exit, and 90% on the people on my train queued up for the first two gates, leaving all the other ones empty! They seemed to have copped on by yesterday though.

Same thing happens with the Sligo train in Connolly when it arrives in platform 2. Its unfortunate that the gate line is so near the doors to the platform at in Connolly. A curve would have been better than a straight line, so as to encourage people to fan out.

There is a large gate for bigger luggage right? Because I've had my share of problems with automatic gates...

Yes, each bank of gates has one or two wide gates for prams, buggies, wheelchairs, luggage, etc.

I was getting error message "Ticket Failed" all last week. This morning I got error "No Valid Route". The passenger beside me had a monthly with the city centre add-on as well and got "Destination exceeded". She told me last week it was " Ticket Failed" as well. Again was told to pay to get my ticket replaced which I will do on Friday.

"Ticket failed" means that the magnetic stripe can't be read on that occasion. "No valid route" and "Destination exceeded" means there is a software error in the gates, which simply isn't good enough.

It is a complete nonsense that IÉ expects people to pay to rectify the faulty product that they have supplied. The problem will only increase for the next three days, before vanishing again on Friday when new tickets start.

There is something seriously wrong with the gates in Heuston

I travelled through on the weekend and I'd say more than half the passengers where having trouble of some sort

The gate in both directions didn't really like my ticket, it went in/out/in/out/in before it opened the gate. Same ticket worked perfectly elsewhere, just Heuston is the problem

There was potentially a very dangerous situation yesterday evening at the machines for platform 6,7,8. The 17:10 train to Athlone had not boarded when I arrived at 16:55. The space between the machines and doors leading to platform was full of people waiting to board the 17:10. People were also trying to push their way through the queues that were forming on the entry side of the barriers.

If the train from Westport had arrived on time they would have not been able to leave the platform through the crowds waiting to board the 17:10. Of course as the crowd got bigger the IR staff just disappeared. Eventually the 17:10 was cancelled.

So it also turns out that if you arrive at Heuston without a ticket and there are no RPU guys around, you are just allowed through by the employees manning the gates.

I arrived in Heuston on the Mayo train on Sunday evening. Most of the gates were set to entry even though all the passengers were exiting at the time. Most people used the few that were open normally although an employee was holding one of the gates permanently open and not inspecting tickets. I'm not quite sure what was going on....

I'd like to complain about this.

I got the 14:52 Mallow-Heuston. It was only by the grace of God I'd remembered to bring my ticket, normally bin it.

No announcement of barriers on the train at all, is what's annoying me. or the need to retain one's ticket, I mean up till now no-one's given a stuff, fair enough if they want to change it so why not make an announcement, I was on a single so hadn't started in Heuston so no need to keep the ticket, most of the time I'd toss it in the bin on exiting the train. Lucky I did to keep a bookmark this time.

IE - once again you display a well-honed sense of complete ignorance when it comes to customer service. I salute you, few companies keep this up as well and as terrible as you do.


Why do this for the MK4s anyway ? This is an IC run, with a checker onboard

The machines in Heuston are crap. I purchased a new ticket last Friday and it worked on Friday and this morning. However this evening I got a "No Valid Route". The member of staff on the gate told me as far as he was concerned I didn't have a valid ticket and would have to buy another one.

This is despite me having a monthly ticket to the city centre. Thankfully I will not have to travel by train after this month.

This is a problem with the system, not your ticket. The system can't quiet understand how you have a ticket for somewhere (Dublin City Centre) that isn't on the Irish Rail passenger network (you can't get a train from Heuston to Dublin City Centre).

We all know the problem is with the system and not the ticket. It worked on Friday and yesterday morning. I have monthly ticket with add-on to city centre.

Ticket failed again this morning with "No Valid Route". One of the guys who was with the RPU before the barriers came in wouldn't let me through. Told me if machine says "No Valid Route" then it is not valid ticket.

If I want to complain to IR about this fiasco who should the complaint be addressed to and in what form. I don't want to complain about an individual member of staff because they all are saying I have to buy a new ticket but the whole implementation of the ticket machines.

This is quite clearly a serious problem. If you buy a ticket that is clearly valid and the gate staff don't let you through, you should immediately demand to see a manager. Ultimately, consumer law applies so if the ticket does not work for the purpose for which you purchased it you are entitled to a full refund.

I agree it should have been publicised better (and other than at Heuston), but the bylaws do require that you have a ticket available for inspection until you exit the destination station.

It was either all or nothing as regards gating the platforms at Heuston, and quite a lot of trains coming in are commuter services now. And on a separate point, there is quite often no onboard ticket checker on Cork-Dublin trains.

You would be hard pushed to find one on the 5:05 from Cork

And since the booking office isn't open then, will IÉ fine people at the gates in Heuston for not having a ticket that they couldn't buy?

so why can't they just change the announcements on the train ?

"Please retain your ticket to allow exit through the barriers"

You should retain the ticket for inspection at all times, there is no good reason to leave it on the train.

This is the first time any class of check has been applied off train to any Heuston side passengers. This has been a long time coming, there is no note in the timetable for instance.

And the rules about automatic announcements are such that it can't actual say have your ticket ready for inspection

This morning on the 7:40 from Portlaoise, there was an automatic announcement on Automatic Validation in Heuston and passengers were advised to have their tickets ready. The announcement was made as the train approached Heuston.

a: the rules can be changed.

b: hitherto, as you got off the train in Heuston you could throw the ticket in the bin in the vestibule on the way out. It's not the change itself I'm objecting, to it's the complete lack of notice on the train that the practice had changed.

Irish Rail didn't set the rules, it was the UK actually and now are EU rules

There are posters at stations informing people of exit validation in Heuston

Mark,

Is there any chance you could elaborate on this ? Any time this issue comes up you respond with partial answers like "not allowed by the rules"

Now that someone challenges that by saying rules can be changed you revert to saying who made them up and who 'owns' them now but not by addressing the issue of whether they can be changed or not.

Any chance you might enlighten the mere ordinary people out here in the real world and tell us what the major issue is, what the rule says, why it can't be changed, etc . . .

I mean, does the rule say "Announcements may not be usefull to the general populace." ? No. Does the rule say "Announcements must only refer to conditions onboard the train or related directly to the train operation" ? Maybe. That might explain why they can't tell people to have their tickets ready. For the love of Jaysus will you please put a little more effort into putting information out there rather than sending out teasers which seem designed to let people know that you know stuff they don't and you could tell them but you won't (not "can't").

For all we know they can't tell people to have their tickets ready because it might be against 'disability' regulations since some people mightn't be phyically in a position to have their tickets ready . . . it could be anything. If you know what it is would you just spell it out.

You hint at it by saying that "automatic" announcements can't say to have your ticket ready . . . what about manual announcements ?

z

There is a rule book called RVAR, its over 100 pages in length and is feared by train builders

It lays down the exact form of words which is acceptable, the timing and so on. Of course Irish Rail don't follow the rules to the letter, NIR do.

Of course you assume the system will be turned on

or, when I buy my ticket to Heuston the guy can say " You'll need the ticket to get through the barriers" or the machine can flash up "Please retain your ticket to exit the barriers at Heuston" .

All fairly simple stuff. No posters were visible at Mallow.

You know what it is, for €54 IE made a damn fine job of making me feel embarrassed. Stop sticking up for them, in this case they didn't do a tap to publicise the change.

They have one of these in Dublin Connolly. I'm sure it is a small desk where an official of Iarnrod Eireann will issue the Standard Fare of €50 for having an invalid ticket, a ticket with no ID / age or simply no ticket at all.

If anyone cares, here's the EU rules (in pdf format)

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/...72:0207:EN:PDF

I was almost prepared to read it but at 136 pages, it's a bit lengthy to read over my morning coffee :-) Could some kind person point to the page where it says passengers cannot be told to retain their tickets?

A quick search indicates that no such phrase or anything like it exists in that document. If such a rule exists, then it would seem to be implied (there is a detailed description of what the information system should do in section 4.2.2.8.3. on page 51)

Its in 13.4 and 13.5 of the RVAR rules

I've never heard an exit validation advertisement in the UK, I've been driven mad by them on the commuter services in Dublin

IÉ fails that one horribly; there are catering announcements after every stop on the Cork-Dublin most runs.

Not to mention "buy online at irishrail.ie" which scrolls by on he 22k fleet

Which regulations are enforced now?

None, but RVAR is in the transport sectoral plan for the Disability act 2004

So, it's not actually forbidden then ?

"The provision of too much or non-essential information should be avoided since it can cause many people confusion and will irritate other passengers"

It can clearly be argued that this is essential information to the customer to avoid being charged a standard fare for a journey they have already paid for.

When will RUI put on their customer advocate hat and push some of these types of points instead of making excuses for IE in situations like this ? I would make this kind of point directly to IE, but I thought that was what RUI was for.

Having signs at the destination telling customers that something is coming is not a lot of use to those people who use the train once or twice a year. What happens if you normally get the train from Galway to Athlone, and just this once you get it to Heuston ? Having Heuston plastered in signs will be of no help at all. It's like having signs land-side at the airport saying that you must retain your boarding card after getting off your plane - by the time you have seen the sign it's too late.

z

A major change in the ticket enforcement policy is what I would describe as "essential information". It wouldn't have to be permanently on the announcements/displays, just for a few weeks after introduction. There's no excuse for Irish Rail, they were lazy and didn't think it through and for some reason you're defending them.

What's with the 2 second delay between removing your ticket and the gate opening? Might seem a bit nit-picky, but when it's busy all those 2 seconds add up you know!

Can you imagine the exit gates on the London Underground did that - there'd be riots!