Online / TVM tickets across lines
 

Why is it still the case that you can only buy tickets online or at TVMs for the line you are on and you have to go to the ticket office for a cross-line ticket?

It's really annoying - I can only buy a ticket from Edgeworthstown to Connolly when I want to go to Pearse even though the train I am on is going to Pearse. The price differential is substantial. It's 25 euro online to travel to Dublin on Thursday and back Friday but an Open Return will cost 35 euro. According to the fare calculator, it's an extra tenner to get to Pearse which seems a bit wrong.

This sort of silliness substantially reduces the utility of the railway and makes it easier to drive rather than take the train. It's already quicker to drive, at 45 euro plus parking, it's probably actually cheaper to drive.

This is a big problem, especially since many stations have reduced ticket office hours on the assumption that people can just use the machines.

From Drogheda, you can't buy a ticket to any station beyone Pearse, even though there are a number of morning commuter services that continue to Bray.