Delay & Ticket buying

[Via Cortober]

I usually take the car to Dublin. But then, occasionally, I have a cranial disturbance of some kind and decide to get the train from Carrick-on-Shannon to Connolly.

I try to book online, thinking that a day-return would be a bit cheaper if purchased that way. But nope, it's €3 more expensive, and I'm not sure that I can collect a ticket at Carrick-on-Shannon when it's been bought online. There is no ticket vending machine there... still, after it was promised two years ago. No update on the discussion here.

So, to be sure to be sure I buy it at the station (€30.50) and the off-peak journey up to Dublin is fine.

When I arrive at Connolly for the return leg on the 19.05 Dublin-Sligo train there's something amiss because the station announcer is apologising for having to re-direct passengers to Platform 3 because, I gather (rather than 'hear'), the train's arrival has been delayed by the late arrival of another train.

Eventually our train appears close to 7pm and we all get on board. And wait. And wait. And wait. And then there's an apology for the delayed departure due to a train having broken down on the line between Enfield and Mullingar.

This line is repeated several times and passengers travelling to Maynooth are advised to do a bunk and catch a commuter train on platform 7.

Then we get an announcement that services are suspended on the Dublin-Sligo line until further notice. However, we are to remain in our seats. This is repeated a few times and then a member of staff goes through the train checking our individual destinations, in case, I presume, that a bus has to be mustered from somewhere.

These announcements continue... "Iarnród Éireann would like to apologise..." etc... until, without much fanfare, we're told that the train will shortly depart. Which it does at 20.10pm. I arrived at Carrick-on-Shannon at 22.34, an hour and thirteen minutes late.

Any chance I can get my money back from IÉ?

[Mark Gleeson]

50% refund is available to you, so its 25% of the face value. If you had had booked online the refund would have been direct to the credit card used, otherwise its vouchers

Send the ticket, plus details of your journey to

Customer Services
Northern and Eastern
Iarnród Éireann
Connolly Station
Amiens Street
Dublin 1

Contact 01 703 2601
Fax (01) 703 4369

The breakdown resulted in major disruption and holding the 19:05 in Connolly was appropriate as trains were already stuck at Maynooth and it is much easier arrange coaches if required.

In this case the reason for delay was immediately made known, alternatives where available communicated and steps to taken to take head count to ensure bus numbers and destination could be planned if needed. This is a major improvement over the past when total silence was the game plan.

You should have been told of your right to a refund once the train actually departed

[Via Cortober]

Thanks, Mark.
So if you pay by debit card at the station you don't get a cash credit, whereas if you pay online with the same card you do? Curious.

Any update on the online ticket purchase/pricing, and ticket vending machine issues for Carrick-on-Shannon? I didn't find the company's explanations in the least bit credible when I last engaged with them by email on the matter a couple of years back.

This would seem to be borne out by the lack of progress since, so there's no incentive to grow business. The approach seems to be to exploit (ie screw) the existing customer base rather than try to broaden and develop it.

[Mark Gleeson]

You can book from Carrick on Shannon if you want, it does work. Simply bring the booking confirmation page printed out.

Refunds on online purchases are made direct to the card as that is on file and can be done automatically, plus there is a legal obligation to refund tickets for cross border journeys in cash.

2013 revenue is up vs 2012

[Via Cortober]

2013 revenue is up vs 2012

Hmm, yesss... and the numbers of inter-city tickets sold in each category? Are they also up or is it merely a case of increased prices = increased revenue?

Thanks for the Carrick booking info.

[Mark Gleeson]

Month on month growth is what I have been told, so this goes beyond the basic fare increase.

Anything further with online fares will require replacement of the booking/fares engine.

We might even sell Irish Rail our fares engine, http://www.railusers.ie/passenger_in..._calc_2013.php it works better than anything they have internally

[dowlingm]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

2013 revenue is up vs 2012

Hopefully it will stay that way once the manager-as-ticket-checker blitzes ease off.

[Colm Moore]

If I'm right, any payment from a credit card, where ever it happened should be refunded to the credit card. I'm not sure about debit cards.

[joey]

[quote=Via Cortober;72391]

Any update on the online ticket purchase/pricing, and ticket vending machine issues for Carrick-on-Shannon?

Severe lack of TVMs right across the board. Even inner city Dublin lacks them, do they not take fare evasion into consideration?

[Mark Gleeson]

One station in Dublin only lacks a TVM, mainly due to the risk that it will be burned, robbed or stolen.

In a roundabout way this actually has been a huge asset in fare evasion prosecutions, "I got on at Broombridge....", Irish Rail, "no you didn't as we had staff there this morning, and have the CCTV to prove you were not there."

[joey]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

One station in Dublin only lacks a TVM, mainly due to the risk that it will be burned, robbed or stolen.

In a roundabout way this actually has been a huge asset in fare evasion prosecutions, "I got on at Broombridge....", Irish Rail, "no you didn't as we had staff there this morning, and have the CCTV to prove you were not there."

Fully agree and appreciate that.
However, Ashtown missing TVM on Dublin City bound platform

[Via Cortober]

Thanks, all.

Has the company withdrawn all discounted fares for tickets bought online or are they only available on particular services, at particular times, when booked far enough in advance? Or is it just on the Sligo intercity service that no discounts are available?

Every off-peak empty seat is money lost. They should find a way to sell unused capacity at a discount, built around an integrated, real-time 100% reserved seat system (that could cope with multiple passengers using the same seat for sequential segments of an intercity route). Then the ticket offices - using real time booking - could even sell a limited number of standing-room only tickets at an ultra-low price. Maybe this is Iarnród Utopia rather than Iarnród Éireann!

[berneyarms]

Originally Posted by Via Cortober

Thanks, all.

Has the company withdrawn all discounted fares for tickets bought online or are they only available on particular services, at particular times, when booked far enough in advance? Or is it just on the Sligo intercity service that no discounts are available?

Every off-peak empty seat is money lost. They should find a way to sell unused capacity at a discount, built around an integrated, real-time 100% reserved seat system (that could cope with multiple passengers using the same seat for sequential segments of an intercity route). Then the ticket offices - using real time booking - could even sell a limited number of standing-room only tickets at an ultra-low price. Maybe this is Iarnród Utopia rather than Iarnród Éireann!

The discounts are still there.

Once you book at least 7 days in advance you can avail of the €14.99 each way fare on the Sligo route.

Within 1-6 days the fare rises to €21.99 each way, and €32.99 on the day of travel.

The only exception to this are the following trains that cannot be booked online as they are operated by commuter trains:
13:05 ex-Connolly and 18:00 from Sligo on Fridays
09:05 ex-Connolly and 13:00 from Sligo on Sundays

Some of the peak trains will have higher fares (such as Friday evenings from Dublin).

Full information is here:
http://www.irishrail.ie/cat_offers.j...118&n=144&ci=4

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by Via Cortober

Thanks, all.

Has the company withdrawn all discounted fares for tickets bought online or are they only available on particular services, at particular times, when booked far enough in advance? Or is it just on the Sligo intercity service that no discounts are available?

Every off-peak empty seat is money lost. They should find a way to sell unused capacity at a discount, built around an integrated, real-time 100% reserved seat system (that could cope with multiple passengers using the same seat for sequential segments of an intercity route). Then the ticket offices - using real time booking - could even sell a limited number of standing-room only tickets at an ultra-low price. Maybe this is Iarnród Utopia rather than Iarnród Éireann!

The system has been a little buggy for the last while, with discounted fares disappearing completely at times.

Selling unused capacity at a discount doesn't always work. If you are selling 50 tickets at €20 or 60 tickets at €10, it is better value for the railway company to carry fewer people.

Train is much more popular than bus from Sligo, Mayo and Roscommon because of distance and other quality of service issues - the railway has a somewhat captive market. Contrast that with the bus market from Galway and Cork, where speed, frequency and low fares make them competitive for some market sectors.