Sail & Rail

Traincustomer · 03-12-2019, 21:55

After 22 years of serving the North Wales route Virgin Trains bow out this Saturday, 7th December, 2019, with Avanti West Coast taking over on Sunday.

Same trains and insofar as I'm aware the same staff and management team.

At ferry check-in there is a new requirement to give your date of birth. When I enquired I was informed it is to do with Brexit but further research indicates it is a new EU law coming into effect just before Christmas.

Traincustomer · 24-03-2022, 21:54

The Ferrylink bus (Morton's) has been replaced with a service operated by Nolan's on behalf of the ferry operators to/from Connolly (the inbound extension to Heuston as operated by Morton's has been dropped though from my journeys I observed there would nearly always be several fellow passengers going through to Heuston).

The first bus ex Connolly at 06.45 (for 08.05 Ulysses & 08.15 Stena) is a tad early and misses the vast majority of inbound buses and trains (Ferrylink didn't depart Westmoreland Street till 07.15 and this half an hour makes a critical distance for those who have to make a public transport journey into the city)

Tickets must be purchased from the ferry operators and cannot be purchased onboard the bus. In the case of Stena Line ex Dublin journeys they can be bought over the phone (€3 add-on) when purchasing a SailRail (just have your booking reference/confirmation e-mail for the bus) and inbound to Dublin can be purchased from guest services onboard ship for £3.

Timetables:

https://www.stenaline.ie/routes/dubl...ad/dublin-port

https://www.nolancoaches.ie/wp-conte...-Timetable.pdf

https://www.nolancoaches.ie/wp-conte...-Timetable.pdf

Meanwhile at Rosslare the morning sailing to Fishguard has been advanced to 07.30 (previously 08.00) which means there is no public transport whatsoever reaching Europort in time for last check-in at 07.00.

In yet another passenger unfriendly move the walkway from the terminal to ship has been truncated resulting in the more cumbersome and often more time-consuming embarkation/disembarkation process via shuttle buses (open air collection of luggage and boarding buses)

PS:Hope everyone is doing ok.

Eddie · 09-04-2022, 08:33

Since late 2019, a typical single Sail & Rail fare to London has risen from €47 to €59.

€6 of this increase seems to be the removal of a discount that applied if you booked more than a certain amount of time in advance (24 / 48 hours). I presume this was designed to increase revenue from the very limited number of passengers using the service during the pandemic.

€47 was brilliant value to get to any station in Britain as long as you had the time to spare for a 4 hour boat journey first. €59 less so. Let's hope they re-introduce the early booking discount soon.

Traincustomer · 04-07-2022, 21:46

Good news is that a late night connecting bus was recently introduced off the 23.45 Stena Line arrival at Terminal 2 (20.30 ex Holyhead) plus there is a 00.40hrs bus departure from Connolly to Stena Line T2 to connect into the 02.15 sailing. Perhaps the paucity of taxis at night partly brought this about.

Passenger loadings not bad either with around ten inbound and two outbound the other night (the bus goes back to the port to park up anyway).

The fare of €3 single to/from Stena Line can now be paid onboard the bus but by card only - no cash is accepted.

For passengers travelling with Irish Ferries the bus is free.

It's still a pity there's no linkage to Heuston - granted there are connections at Connolly but when one is laden with luggage cramming into an often super busy Luas is not pleasant.

Traincustomer · 20-10-2022, 10:59

Since the start of this month (October 2022) the city terminus has switched from Connolly to Georges Quay.

Unsure what prompted this change as it's less user-friendly than Connolly; many passengers are catching trains from Connolly or provincial buses from Busáras.

One step forwards and two steps back...

If Irish Rail, the bus company, Stena Line and Irish Ferries worked together towards a co-ordinated and promoted offering SailRail usage could be significantly grown from provincial towns.

berneyarms · 21-10-2022, 15:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Traincustomer

Since the start of this month (October 2022) the city terminus has switched from Connolly to Georges Quay.

Unsure what prompted this change as it's less user-friendly than Connolly; many passengers are catching trains from Connolly or provincial buses from Busáras.

One step forwards and two steps back...

If Irish Rail, the bus company, Stena Line and Irish Ferries worked together towards a co-ordinated and promoted offering SailRail usage could be significantly grown from provincial towns.

The bus stop at Connolly LUAS is already full - try watching how cross-city routes 14 and 15 get blocked there.

Traincustomer · 12-12-2022, 20:48

There's a public consultation underway regarding improvements to Holyhead Railway Station:

Quote:

We are carrying out a six-week options consultation for the proposed Holyhead station WelTAG Stage 2 scheme, which aims to transform the station into a local transport hub.

It closes on 22nd December, 2022.

Further info:
https://haveyoursay.tfw.wales/holyhead-station

In other news the 20:20 Avanti West Coast train from Bangor to Birmingham now commences in Holyhead at 19:49 (useful for passengers off the 14:45 ex Dublin Stena Line sailing)

Eddie · 09-08-2022, 11:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eddie

Since late 2019, a typical single Sail & Rail fare to London has risen from €47 to €59.

€6 of this increase seems to be the removal of a discount that applied if you booked more than a certain amount of time in advance (24 / 48 hours). I presume this was designed to increase revenue from the very limited number of passengers using the service during the pandemic.

€47 was brilliant value to get to any station in Britain as long as you had the time to spare for a 4 hour boat journey first. €59 less so. Let's hope they re-introduce the early booking discount soon.

Good news - these fares have been reduced back down. Stena Line have updated their website and are quoting these new fares over the phone. London now €49 single as long as you're not travelling the same day. Irish Ferries don't seem to have updated their booking engine yet to take account of the reduction.

24-03-2022, 21:54	#2
Traincustomer Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: ar an traein Posts: 600	Ferry Shuttle Bus (Dublin) & earlier sailing ex Rosslare The Ferrylink bus (Morton's) has been replaced with a service operated by Nolan's on behalf of the ferry operators to/from Connolly (the inbound extension to Heuston as operated by Morton's has been dropped though from my journeys I observed there would nearly always be several fellow passengers going through to Heuston). The first bus ex Connolly at 06.45 (for 08.05 Ulysses & 08.15 Stena) is a tad early and misses the vast majority of inbound buses and trains (Ferrylink didn't depart Westmoreland Street till 07.15 and this half an hour makes a critical distance for those who have to make a public transport journey into the city) Tickets must be purchased from the ferry operators and cannot be purchased onboard the bus. In the case of Stena Line ex Dublin journeys they can be bought over the phone (€3 add-on) when purchasing a SailRail (just have your booking reference/confirmation e-mail for the bus) and inbound to Dublin can be purchased from guest services onboard ship for £3. Timetables: https://www.stenaline.ie/routes/dubl...ad/dublin-port https://www.nolancoaches.ie/wp-conte...-Timetable.pdf https://www.nolancoaches.ie/wp-conte...-Timetable.pdf Meanwhile at Rosslare the morning sailing to Fishguard has been advanced to 07.30 (previously 08.00) which means there is no public transport whatsoever reaching Europort in time for last check-in at 07.00. In yet another passenger unfriendly move the walkway from the terminal to ship has been truncated resulting in the more cumbersome and often more time-consuming embarkation/disembarkation process via shuttle buses (open air collection of luggage and boarding buses) PS:Hope everyone is doing ok. Last edited by Traincustomer : 24-03-2022 at 21:56. Reason: adding a link

04-07-2022, 21:46	#4
Traincustomer Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: ar an traein Posts: 600	Ferry Shuttle Bus (Dublin) update Good news is that a late night connecting bus was recently introduced off the 23.45 Stena Line arrival at Terminal 2 (20.30 ex Holyhead) plus there is a 00.40hrs bus departure from Connolly to Stena Line T2 to connect into the 02.15 sailing. Perhaps the paucity of taxis at night partly brought this about. Passenger loadings not bad either with around ten inbound and two outbound the other night (the bus goes back to the port to park up anyway). The fare of €3 single to/from Stena Line can now be paid onboard the bus but by card only - no cash is accepted. For passengers travelling with Irish Ferries the bus is free. It's still a pity there's no linkage to Heuston - granted there are connections at Connolly but when one is laden with luggage cramming into an often super busy Luas is not pleasant.

20-10-2022, 10:59	#5
Traincustomer Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: ar an traein Posts: 600	Ferry Shuttle Bus (Dublin) stop change Since the start of this month (October 2022) the city terminus has switched from Connolly to Georges Quay. Unsure what prompted this change as it's less user-friendly than Connolly; many passengers are catching trains from Connolly or provincial buses from Busáras. One step forwards and two steps back... If Irish Rail, the bus company, Stena Line and Irish Ferries worked together towards a co-ordinated and promoted offering SailRail usage could be significantly grown from provincial towns.

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03-12-2019, 21:55	#1
Traincustomer Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: ar an traein Posts: 600	After 22 years of serving the North Wales route Virgin Trains bow out this Saturday, 7th December, 2019, with Avanti West Coast taking over on Sunday. Same trains and insofar as I'm aware the same staff and management team. At ferry check-in there is a new requirement to give your date of birth. When I enquired I was informed it is to do with Brexit but further research indicates it is a new EU law coming into effect just before Christmas.

09-04-2022, 08:33	#3
Eddie Really Regular Poster Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 258	Since late 2019, a typical single Sail & Rail fare to London has risen from €47 to €59. €6 of this increase seems to be the removal of a discount that applied if you booked more than a certain amount of time in advance (24 / 48 hours). I presume this was designed to increase revenue from the very limited number of passengers using the service during the pandemic. €47 was brilliant value to get to any station in Britain as long as you had the time to spare for a 4 hour boat journey first. €59 less so. Let's hope they re-introduce the early booking discount soon.