O’Mahony welcomes clarification from Irish Rail that no photo ID needed for under 16s

Fine Gael TD for Mayo and Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications, John O’Mahony, has welcomed clarification he has received from Irish Rail that under 16s do not have to have a photo ID for rail travel.

“I was delighted to receive written confirmation from the Chief Executive of Irish Rail that under 16s do not have to have a photo ID to avail of reduced rates. I am satisfied that this clarifies the issue for young students and their parents as there has been considerable confusion about the issue.

“Irish Rail had previously maintained that young people with an under 16s ticket would face a €100 fine if they were not able to present a photo ID to verify their age.  Irish Rail has now confirmed it will accept other forms of proof including assurance from the child’s parents.

“I raised the issue with Irish Rail having been contacted by a number of concerned parents whose 14 or 15 year olds have been traveling to Dublin for one reason or another and who have been asked to produce valid photo ID. Some people do not have passports for their children as they have not travelled abroad or intend to in the near future. For those who do have passports, many would not let their child under 16 carry their passport for fear of this valuable document getting lost or stolen.

“While I understand that measures to prevent fare avoidance have to be enforced, I welcome Irish Rail’s common sense approach to this matter.”