Europe Trains Guide

Ireland (IE)

Country info: Ireland (Eire)

Rail companies: IE (Iarnród Éireann) 

Irish Rail Network Map 

Currency: Euro


 

 

Train travel in Ireland: train types, tickets, fares, discounts & other useful info

 
 
ie_intercity
National Train Service:

Train types in Ireland: Suburban (DART), Commuter & InterCity trains

  • Suburban (DART): suburban service in Dublin area (Dublin to Dundalk, Gorey, Portlaoise, Longford, Howth, Malahide, etc.), no seat reservation required 
  • Commuter: commuter service in most populated regions of Ireland (except Dublin with DART), no seat reservation required
  • InterCity: long-distance intercity service connecting major Irish cities & towns (+ to/from Northern Ireland), seat reservation (5 euro) not required, but can be made

 

Discounts, special offers & ways to save money for passengers traveling by train in Ireland (IE):

  1. Passengers purchasing tickets online (via Irish Railways website) in advance can take advantage of the special discounted tickets sold by IE via web - when purchasing tickets >7 days in advance passengers can travel from Dublin to Cork for as low as 19,99 euro, from Dublin to Limerick & Ennis from as low as 19,99 euro, from Dublin to Tralee from as low as 22,99 euro, from Dublin to Nenagh from 9,99 euro, from Dublin to Rosslare from 17,99 euro, from Dublin to Waterford from only 19,99 euro, from Dublin to Galway & Sligo from only 19,99 euro,  from Galaway to Limerick from 10 euro, from Cork to Galaway from 9,99 euro, from Cork to Limerick from 9,99 euro, from Cork to Tralee from 12,99 euro, etc. Discounted Online Tickets are subject to availability and can be purchased as early as 60 days before the journey
  2. Purchasing Day Return or Open Return tickets is much cheaper than buying two one-way tickets, in fact Day Return tickets in many instances is just a few euro more expensive than one-way tickets
  3. Passengers planning multiple trips in Ireland can also consider purchasing special IE Tourist Tickets (=pass for all the Irish trains): a) Trekker Four Day (four consecutive days of unlimited travel on all Iarnród Éireann services, 110 euro) or b) Explorer (5 days unlimited travel out of 15 consecutive days on all Iarnród Éireann services, 160 euro), also available Tourist Ticket Explorer+ Bus (8 days unlimited travel out of 15 consecutive days on Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann, 245 euro)
  4. Passengers traveling with families (one or two adults with as many as four children <15 years old) can consider special Family Day Tickets. For instance, Family Day return ticket from Dublin to Cork costs 100 euro, Family Open Return (return trip can take place up to 30 days after outward trip) - 140 euro, from Dublin to Galway it's 73,50 euro & 132 euro, from Dublin to Limmerick 82,50 & 132 euro, from Dublin to Westport 79 & 140 euro, etc.
  5. Passengers planning multiple train journeys in Ireland might consider purchasing SCIC-NRT international ticket for domestic journeys in Ireland (more info about use of international tickets for domestic train trips can be found 'Western Europe-how cheap it can be?'). For instance, Dundalk-Dublin-Cork ticket valid for 15 days period & allowing unlimited stopovers on the way cost only 69,60 euro (plus if passenger holds Rail Plus Card such SCIC-NRT tickets will be 25% cheaper). Basically such SCIC-NRT international ticket can be used as rail pass for the predefined route of your choice.

 

International Train Service:
ie_commuter_train

a) Regular discounts

Not available

b) Special offers (SparSchiene)

Northern Ireland: from Dublin to Belfast from only 19,99 euro (Online Tickets purchased in advance via IE website)

United Kingdom: SailRail fares from Ireland to UK (low-cost fares for through rail+ferry tickets with no need to prebook anything in advance): from Dublin to London for as low as 47 euro, Cork to Manchester for as low as 61 euro, Wexford to Cardiff for as low as 51 euro, from Galway to Liverpool for as low as 61 euro, Limerick to Birmingham for as low as 62 euro, etc.

c) CityStars

Not available

dublin_heuston_station

 

How to Buy Train Tickets in Ireland:

National (domestic) & international tickets (including offers) can be purchased online via Irish Railways (IE) website  - www.irishrail.ie

dart_dublin

 


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