Irish Rail ticket problem: urgent response needed

gugleguy

OP you have'nt provided any update over the last 48 hours. That's all I have to say as googletroll.;)

may06

Losty Dublin wrote: »

The ticket office machines at Connolly are outside the barrier. To purchase at the station you'd have to leave through the gates, puurchase a ticket and then enter through the gates again. Having a ticket machine on the station side would allow for passengers who genuinely have good reason to travel without a ticket to purchase one; however it is too open to abuse by those who had good chance to purchase same.

Not true, not sure when you were last in Connolly? - you can purchase tickets, at the ticket booth, just before you exit through the doors before the barriers- the ticket booth itself is located just at the start of platform 4..While I'm not sure if it is manned all day long, but it has a ticket seller there every morning, to facilitate those who have no tickets to purchase them, before you exit thro the barriers. Check it out next time you are in Connolly :-)

markpb

may06 wrote: »

Not true, not sure when you were last in Connolly? - you can purchase tickets, at the ticket booth, just before you exit through the doors before the barriers- the ticket booth itself is located just at the start of platform 4..While I'm not sure if it is manned all day long, but it has a ticket seller there every morning, to facilitate those who have no tickets to purchase them, before you exit thro the barriers. Check it out next time you are in Connolly :-)

AFAIK they'll only sell you tickets if you were legitimately unable to buy a ticket at your origin, eg Broombridge. They'll happily take your details and issue you a fine if you don't have a ticket for any other reason.

LXFlyer

Correct - as I pointed out above, the entire Irish Rail network (with very few exceptions) is now a penalty fare area.

Every ticket gate has a vinyl notice warning passengers of this - you must have a ticket before travelling.

The booth is where they issue the penalty fare notices.

http://www.irishrail.ie/media/fixedpenaltydlleaflet1.pdf?v=grhucpe

may06

markpb wrote: »

AFAIK they'll only sell you tickets if you were legitimately unable to buy a ticket at your origin, eg Broombridge. They'll happily take your details and issue you a fine if you don't have a ticket for any other reason.

OP got on in Edgeworthstown - the ticket office is not always open there frequently and the vending machine, last time i was there, is not in operation. Now if OP was unable to buy a ticket, due to the fact the either the ticket office was closed/vending machine not working - then he has a legitimate reason. My friend boards the 0540 (from Longford) in Edgeworthstown few mornings a week, ticketless (for reasons listed above) - purchases his ticket in Connolly, at said booth, without issues..OP could well have being in the same situation perhaps?

Jamie2k9

may06 wrote: »

OP got on in Edgeworthstown - the ticket office is not always open there frequently and the vending machine, last time i was there, is not in operation. Now if OP was unable to buy a ticket, due to the fact the either the ticket office was closed/vending machine not working - then he has a legitimate reason. My friend boards the 0540 (from Longford) in Edgeworthstown few mornings a week, ticketless (for reasons listed above) - purchases his ticket in Connolly, at said booth, without issues..OP could well have being in the same situation perhaps?

If you read the OP's first few posts, the ticket off was open and he was about to clear the train for departure when the OP rolled up to the station and expected them to delay the train while a ticket was issued!

discus

Copyerselveson wrote: »

No you would not get a ticket on board, you'd get a penalty fare. You can't travel without a ticket here in England.

A fair few times I've approached the guard/conductor and checked if I could buy a ticket on board. Maybe it's because I always have 40kgs of luggage with me that they take pity? Never been issued a penalty fair, and last year I spent 2000 pounds on train fairs alone - and that's with military discount...

Grolschevik

Yep, the OP clearly said that the office was open and manned, but that the train was about to leave and that he/she couldn't/wouldn't make it to the automated machines. So he/she knowingly got on without a ticket that it would have been possible to buy.

That said, the facility to buy tickets on the train or at the destination just makes sense.

LXFlyer

Grolschevik wrote: »

Yep, the OP clearly said that the office was open and manned, but that the train was about to leave and that he/she couldn't/wouldn't make it to the automated machines. So he/she knowingly got on without a ticket that it would have been possible to buy.

That said, the facility to buy tickets on the train or at the destination just makes sense.

Whether or not it makes sense is no longer applicable, unfortunately. IE have, as I have pointed out above, made the network a penalty fare area - in other words you must always get a ticket before boarding unless it is impossible to do so due to there being no facilities available.

LXFlyer

discus wrote: »

A fair few times I've approached the guard/conductor and checked if I could buy a ticket on board. Maybe it's because I always have 40kgs of luggage with me that they take pity? Never been issued a penalty fair, and last year I spent 2000 pounds on train fairs alone - and that's with military discount...

I think the last three words of your post probably explains why you've got away with it.

Copyerselveson

lxflyer wrote: »

I think the last three words of your post probably explains why you've got away with it.

40kgs of luggage? Military discount? If you are in the armed forces and carrying a service card or in uniform then you will certainly get the benefit of the doubt. The rest of us won't.

may06

Grolschevik wrote: »

Yep, the OP clearly said that the office was open and manned, but that the train was about to leave and that he/she couldn't/wouldn't make it to the automated machines. So he/she knowingly got on without a ticket that it would have been possible to buy.

That said, the facility to buy tickets on the train or at the destination just makes sense.

Ok i missed that bit where he said office was open, hence he could have got ticket. But, that failing, office not open/machine not functionioning (as pe normal) he could have got his ticket in Connolly as I already outlined. Though it is also daft that ticket could not have being purchased on board that same train too.

Grolschevik

Yeah, recently the machines at my station were broken and the office was closed. I took video of me trying to work the machine and then got on the next train.

At Connolly, I went looking for the Revenue Protection Officer. Everyone else just went up to the guy at the barrier.

When I found the Revenue Officer (a young, very apologetic jobsworth type), he said that he had no choice but to issue me with the standard fare, but told me to email in an appeal as soon as possible.

I went up and spoke to the guy on the barrier, who said he'd been selling people retrospective tickets all morning, and that I should have just come up to him!

Anyway, emailed Irish Rail explaining the circumstances and quoting part of the relevant byelaw. Got a very prompt cancellation of the fine and an apology.