What about Hazelhatch? Its TMV's are locked inside the building. Only the leap card / smartcard validators are available when there are no staff. Also the shutters on the elevators are closed when there is no staff.

You do not travel this route - the stations are locked up - the grills are down, only a side gate is left open for passengers.

Irish Rail really need to decide if they're going to use manned or unmanned stations - having a mix of the two with inaccessible TVMs is the worst of both worlds.

staff at heuston would know which ones open or closed.

In fact I'm not sure they do, I got off a train in Heuston last Saturday, I had to tell the chap (staff) that Hazelhatch station was locked up - I have the annual ticket. This really sends out the wrong message to passengers, some days they don't need a ticket and other days they do.

Assuming they do (and I don't believe they can accurately say they do), it causes confusion and doubt in customers minds. It's not hard to be consistent and yet the only thing Irish Rail are consistent about is being inconsistent.

Ticket checking Clonsilla
 

About 15 IR personnel at moment checking tickets in Clonsilla (18.00)

Further inquiries in Irish Rail indicates that many head office department heads have been issued with RPU id cards, RPU warrant cards and have received the RPU training course.

Noticeable increase in RPU checks recently. Today, there were 4 at Kildare, 2 on the train and a gang at Heuston all checking tickets.

That's just the tip of the iceberg of what is coming.

Do IE management have any idea how much fare evaders or people who are unable to purchase tickets cost the company every year?

It's overkill I wonder what the cost benfit analysis really is.

On one single train last year a total of 80 people were caught without a valid ticket, they all had tickets but when checked a strange pattern was discovered. RPU had been tipped off in advance based on an internal system which red flagged that train. 8000 euro in fines plus the fare difference

If you have a ticket you have nothing to worry about, if you don't you will be caught. Don't try to run either they have enough staff at each check to give chase now. Cost wise, the large scale checks are part staffed by management so no extra cost.

If we start with the assumption that fare evasion is about 5% of total, that's 1.8 million journeys per year, @ 5 euro for average yield per passenger that's 9 million

Reducing fare evasion from 5% to 4% is worth 1.8 million in increased revenues.

Focus is on
1. Adults with child tickets
2. Social welfare passes
3. Student tickets, no student ID
4. Use of stolen (hot) tickets
5. Sharing of annual tickets

What a scoop, 80 on the one train :eek:
Management should concentrate on getting the trains to run on time, this would also increase revenue, they are losing many passengers on my commuter route, I'm sure the same applies on other routes.
I'm a regular commuter and honestly it's a least 6 months since I've anyone hauled up at any station for not having a ticket. Most people commuting have the Taxsaver ticket. Why should the ordinary compliant commuter be constantly inconvenienced.

Grainne Whale: your gripe is just ridiculous. There is no excuse for cheating the system and no excuse for IE not trying to enforce the rules.

Service quality and punctuality are separate issues: don't try to mix them up with fare evasion.

Either the managers are doing unpaid overtime when on RPU or the work they do is less valuable than checking tickets. Those are odd options.

I've been commuting for a very long time, you get fed up with all crap passengers take from IR. (trains, more often than not, running late only to be held up again by the RPU checks, that is before you get to the validation machines at Heuston -delaying you further). This despite the fact that you have already had your ticket validated to get on the train at your local station. For God's sake all people want is to get to work on time. I have never supported fare evasion. Why don't you just run along now.:D

It's IE approach over the years which has given you this attitude when it comes to ticket checks. (not an attack on you but in general this is the attitude of many) Only people who get on in Dublin City Centre have to have tickets. You can walk on at any other station in the Dublin area without a ticket and a very high chance of getting away with it.

I really would not think so, for the last number of years validation machines are in stations. It's the shoddy service that has given commuters that attitude. If services were improved I can assure peoples attitude would change.

GW: If fare evasion is due to shoddy service, then why does Veolia need such a rigorous enforcement effort on the Luas when it runs a really high-quality service?

I suppose I'd better run along now, here's my bus!