Why are commuter fares in Galway so expensive?

[comcor]

The fare for the 11km journey from Oranmore to Galway is €6, which seems exceedingly bad value.

Similar distances are:-

• Portmarnock-Connolly (€2.50 Leap/€3.30 Cash)
• Dún Laoghaire-Tara St (€2.50 Leap/€3.30 Cash)
• Clondalkin/Fonthill-Heuston(€2.50 Leap/€3.30 Cash)
• Glounethaune-Cork (€2.34 Leap/€3 Cash).

Athenry-Galway is 25km and €8.20

Similar distances are:-

• Cork-Midleton (€4.50 Leap/€5.90 Cash) - actually 3km shorter but there's no better comparable station around Cork
• Rush & Lusk-Connolly (€3 Leap/€3.85 Cash)
• Greystones-Sydney Parade (€3.72 Leap/€4.75 Cash)

These seem like major discrepancies, even taking the non-availability of Leap into account.

[berneyarms]

Oranmore-Galway is classed as an Intercity journey and is priced accordingly.

All the other journeys you list are within the suburban fares matrices which receive a higher level of subsidy.

[comcor]

That explains why there is a difference, but to me it suggests a problem with the way it is approached.

Oranmore-Galway is a commuter journey albeit one that is often completed on InterCity trains.

Galway has chronic traffic problems, so a fares matrix that discourages use of the train is very unhelpful (and will apparently lead to €600m being spent on a bypass).

Anything from Athenry westwards should be classified as a commuter journey, in the same way that services from Sallins eastwards are in Dublin.

Not that I'm sure that it makes sense to have a point with a massive fare hike (as between Sallins and Newbridge) either though.

[berneyarms]

Originally Posted by comcor

That explains why there is a difference, but to me it suggests a problem with the way it is approached.

Oranmore-Galway is a commuter journey albeit one that is often completed on InterCity trains.

Galway has chronic traffic problems, so a fares matrix that discourages use of the train is very unhelpful (and will apparently lead to €600m being spent on a bypass).

Anything from Athenry westwards should be classified as a commuter journey, in the same way that services from Sallins eastwards are in Dublin.

Not that I'm sure that it makes sense to have a point with a massive fare hike (as between Sallins and Newbridge) either though.

Well that’s an issue for the NTA to decide upon.

[Mark Gleeson]

Fundamentally its a funding and service issue.

The Dublin Short Hop zone is a 1970's construction broadly set up around the Dublin services division of CIE (Bus and Rail for Dublin under a single manager...)

Politics has messed around with the zone so it is now much bigger than it was, Balbriggan was the first shortly after introduction

The zone that was 14 miles from the GPO is now 20 miles, what we a really needs is a set of zones as otherwise there will always be a huge gap somewhere.

Until a dedicated commuter service goes into Galway (more stations, two tracks) it is likely to stay in the intercity fares zone.

[MartinWright]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

Fundamentally its a funding and service issue.

The Dublin Short Hop zone is a 1970's construction broadly set up around the Dublin services division of CIE (Bus and Rail for Dublin under a single manager...)

Politics has messed around with the zone so it is now much bigger than it was, Balbriggan was the first shortly after introduction

The zone that was 14 miles from the GPO is now 20 miles, what we a really needs is a set of zones as otherwise there will always be a huge gap somewhere.

Until a dedicated commuter service goes into Galway (more stations, two tracks) it is likely to stay in the intercity fares zone.

Yeah well said and you given an great information for all thanks for share.