Now no Bookings after May4th
 

Following the prolonged hiatus in booking availability post March 19th, the following is on to-day's IE website (March 14th):
So what is going on? Have they screwed up with the new system? Also the ambiguity of the last sentence quoted is astonishing: it could be taken to mean that services after May 4th, will only be bookable after May 4th.

What about saying "we hope to make services after May 4th bookable by (say) March 31st". I would prefer if they could say "intend" rather than "hope" but that is asking too much. Maybe they just haven't a clue when anything will be available.

sounds like a balls up.

It's clearly a bad choice of wording.

They have updated:

To-day (less than 30 days to go) there are still no bookings available beyond May 4th.

A revised notice on the IE website says that they "plan" to have post-May 4th bookings available by April 24th. That's just 10 days advance availability, which is a disgrace, considering how long this mess has been going on.

I hope that this "plan" is closely monitored. A private business would not survive such incompetent behaviour.

They have launched the new booking system with a new fare structure:
Non Flexible
* - No Refund
* - No Cancellation
* - Non Transferable
* - Lowest Fare

Medium Flexible
* - Cancellation with T&T"s
* - Fee Applies
* - Option to travel on the next service after schedule or before scheduled only

Fully Flexible
* - Full Refund
* - Travel on other services no restriction

It's great having the four fare types listed, but if you hover over each heading where the little i is, it doesn't tell you what that type of fare offers, for example, hover over "No Flex" and it shows "No Flexible Fare" when it should show details of what each fare type is.

I know if you click the fare it will show you details, but surely it should do it on the hover over of the headings, the i gives the impression it would.

"Mag Stripe on TVM" being used for ticket collection method is obvious to most of us but for a lot of people it won't be, surely some more friendly terminology can be used here?

Meanwhile there still is no ability to type your own time or select your own time in the booking engine, still this silly time window selections from a drop down.

South Tipp Line now offering online fares.

Wow - there are some fabulous discounts available on the Sligo line. Just did random checks on about 5 different dates and all three fare bands are the exact same price for every train on all 5 days.

12.29 each way makes for a whopping 7 cent discount on a walk-up day return from Edgeworthstown to Connolly. In fairness, the same fare seems to be available to return on a different day which represents a decent saving on an open return.

The flexible tickets aren't clear to me

Are they fixed once the tickets are printed? And if so, does that mean if I want to go to Dublin for work on a Monday morning and return on the Friday afternoon, once I have printed my ticket on the Monday, my flexibility has gone on the Friday?

I guess this could be got around by booking two singles, but that is creating hassle.

Extra details:
http://www.irishrail.ie/news/managemybooking

South Tipp glitches
 

Hopefully once the glitches are sorted out it will help considerably in generating additional traffic on this line.

Clonmel - Heuston single from as little as €21.98.

However bought at the ticket office in Tipp town a day return to Heuston is €34.50 (Band N). However booking online is generating a day return fare of €45.96 medium flexible...or fully flexible for €63.96

There is a similar issue with day return fares between stations on the line where a day return fare is available for the single fare. The online system is not recognising this.

Are the Taxsaver loyalty tickets gone with the new system?

I was thinking the same thing and went to check. Unfortunately on three separate attempts to go through with a booking, I got an error prompting me to contact their system administrator (no details as to how provided) and it blanked out the data I'd filled in. Not a terribly promising start but about normal for Irish Rail.

It seems to be impossible to book a first class ticket on the Enterprise. I was only offered standard class.

Working fine when I checked just now.

With any new system, there will be a bedding-in period. Feel free to post any comments and we'll pass them on.

There are more features to come.

I did suggest to them from a visual prospective on the seat selection page there is way to much white and for anyone who has a visual impairment or even full sited people it's not easy to see.

They need to bring back the green seats if not the old seating map which was good or replace the grey text with dark black.

The (i) before the fare types under the dates need to contain the restrictions on the fares as well as when you select the ticket.

Blackrock - Rosslare
 

Performed a dummy run for a Blackrock – Rosslare Europort booking but the following message was retuned “This option is not available online, but might be available at the booking office”.

Surely this can be enabled?

"might" is very vague... Aren't all possible station to station combinations available at every booking office?

A through booking is available on the 05.35 ex Europort (which serves Blackrock).

The booking engine will only support the routes/stations previously supported

The issue is the fares system which will be addressed in phase 2 which will then allow any to any booking with the correct fares applied