“Fairer Fares” are not fair for Balbriggan and Skerries Commuters – Boland

Irish Rail must ensure that commuters from all Dublin towns are paying a fair price for travel, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Irish Rail have published the details of the new rail fare adjustments that were first announced in 2023, that will commence next Monday 28^th April, which sees new increased prices for Balbriggan and Skerries commuters.

Deputy Grace Boland, Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal West, said: “I am deeply disappointed by the decision to exclude Skerries and Balbriggan from the Dublin City Zone 1. They are included in Zone 2 which will mean commuters from these towns will have a higher fare compared to towns such as Naas in Kildare and Bray in Wicklow.

“Excluding towns in Dublin and including towns in neighbouring counties is completely unfair.

“To add salt to the wound, commuters from our neighbouring town, Rush/Lusk will have their fares reduced. To travel from Balbriggan or Skerries to Pearse St will be €3.90 when you pay with your Leap card, but from Rush/Lusk a mere few kilometres away, the fare is almost half that, at €2.

“When passengers do not use their Leap card, the fares are higher again; an adult day return for the same journey is €5.20 from Rush/Lusk, but from Balbriggan or Skerries the fare is €9.20.

“This division is not fair and passengers from Balbriggan and Skerries are disproportionately impacted by this change.

“I have been contacted by many concerned commuters and as someone who relies on public transport to get into work, I can completely appreciate their concerns and frustration around this decision. I have highlighted this unfairness with the Minister for Transport, the National Transport Authority (NTA) and An Taoiseach on the floor of the Dáil Chamber, yet nothing has changed.

“We want more people to use public transport and get out of their cars, yet this change could force more people back into their cars to drive to a station in Zone 1 to avail of the lower fares, which is counterproductive.

“I will continue to highlight the unfairness of these fare changes for the communities of Skerries and Balbriggan. I urge the NTA and the Minister for Transport to review the zone distance and include all of the stations in our constituency of Dublin Fingal West into Dublin City Zone 1,” concluded Deputy Boland.