I agree we should all pay the same for the same level of service. Quick electric trains every 10 mins. But the Maynooth line isn't DART, it's a realtively slow diesel service with trains only running hourly off peak.

Also, I'm confused why the NTA is moving Dublin Bus towards a single flat fare, and doing the opposite with IE fares. It's like the bus and train parts of the NTA aren't in the same office.

Anyway a 19.1% hike is still a 19.1% hike. Combined with an off-peak service that only runs once an hour, isn't any quicker than the bus, this won't encourage people to take the train.

Actually you are wrong - they are reducing the rail fare zones from six to five this year and reduced another one in recent years. They've also reduced the LUAS zones too.

If you compare the Maynooth line and Northern line, Leixlip customers were paying much less than people making a similar journey on the Northern line. That isn't fair.

However the switch should have been done more gradually than this, in the same way LUAS season tickets should have increased gradually rather than being frozen and then having a 10% hike.

Yes, we're aware. Means Leixlip to Maynooth has also gone up by 17.7%! :mad:

Well you implied they weren't simplifying the number of rail fares - while they are in fact doing that.

There will always be winners and losers when that happens, but they should have made the change more gradual than this.

Yes, it is a steep adjustment, but it highlights how much of a discount some people were getting and the premium that others were paying. Was it fare, eh, fair that others were paying way over the odds?

Given the continual downgrading of service quality for longer distance commuters on the northern line, it might be time to extend the cheaper inner suburban rates to Drogheda and Dundalk to reflect slow journey times, overcrowding and the use of low amenity rolling stock.