iarnrod eireann rant never again.

Nari85 · 30-11-2014 06:13PM #1

Just got a 166 euro fine for not having a ticket. I had bought my ticket online as i always do. My wallet was stolen/lost last night. I had to borrow ten euro to get to the train station. I explained the situation in Heuston and they let me on. When I boarded the train Mallow a ticket inspector came on. I went up to him privately between carriages to explain my situation. I had my reservation number. He went away and checked my details. I was on the correct train, i even had a seat reserved. He then told me that he was going to fine me. I'm just so annoyed I always use the train when going to dublin. I feel after this Im never using their service again.

The_Valeyard · 30-11-2014 06:14PM

Ring them up Monday. That's ridiculous.

pebbles21 · 30-11-2014 06:18PM

Appeal the fine in writing with all your details etc.,you will be grand ..relax you came across a jobsworth

braddun · 30-11-2014 06:19PM

print out your online ticket

Umaro · 30-11-2014 06:21PM

The guy sounds like a spanner. I hope you appeal it.

ROCKMAN · 30-11-2014 06:21PM

Nari85 wrote: »

Just got a 166 euro fine for not having a ticket. I had bought my ticket online as i always do. My wallet was stolen/lost last night. I had to borrow ten euro to get to the train station. I explained the situation in Heuston and they let me on. When I boarded the train Mallow a ticket inspector came on. I went up to him privately between carriages to explain my situation. I had my reservation number. He went away and checked my details. I was on the correct train, i even had a seat reserved. He then told me that he was going to fine me. I'm just so annoyed I always use the train when going to dublin. I feel after this Im never using their service again.

If you pay this without a less a phone call ,you will be a muppet ,
Surely you have enough evidence on your side to at least appeal/fight the case.
Don't take this lying down.

fxotoole · 30-11-2014 06:26PM

Irish Rail have become obsessed with "Revenue Protection" in recent years and are fining people left , right, and centre.

Not sure why your wallet being lost/stolen is relevant? Did you have a printout of the reservation in your wallet or something?

Anyway, appeal the fine, providing details of your ticket reservation, and any other relevant details. When writing your appeal, use the wording "I had no intention of defrauding the company", and you should be grand.

iDave · 30-11-2014 06:30PM

I'd like to think the 166 will go towards solving the multitude of signal faults but I somehow doubt.

Links234 · 30-11-2014 06:32PM

I really wish they'd open things up to private railway companies in this country, a bit of competition would go a long way.

donvito99 · 30-11-2014 06:32PM

Unless you got some sort of official note from the bloke at Heuston I see no reason why the inspector should have believed you. Probably hears similar excuses a dozen times a day.

twinytwo · 30-11-2014 06:41PM

Links234 wrote: »

I really wish they'd open things up to private railway companies in this country, a bit of competition would go a long way.

i wish, unions wouldnt have it, place would be shut down.... how dare someone try to bring in cheaper and more reliable options.

Captain Chaos · 30-11-2014 06:44PM

No ticket, no travel. Simple rules. Rules state you have to in possession of the correct ticket for the correct rain when you travel, no if's but's, my dog ate it etc.

Exact rules apply with Transdev who run the Luas, private company with the same rules......the shock and cheek of them.

Yamanoto · 30-11-2014 06:45PM

Nari85 wrote: »

He went away and checked my details. I was on the correct train, i even had a seat reserved.

So how did he justify issuing the fine?

Presumably he explained his reasoning to you.

Mr.Crinklewood · 30-11-2014 06:46PM

Inspector may have thought you printed off your ticket and sold it to someone else.

Captain Chaos · 30-11-2014 06:48PM

Mr.Crinklewood wrote: »

Inspector may have thought you printed off your ticket and sold it to someone else.

Bingo.

stehyl15 · 30-11-2014 06:49PM

I dont see why IE spend money removing grafiti off trains dont why they dont just leave there saving money the trains can still move cant they

galwayjohn89 · 30-11-2014 06:52PM

Captain Chaos wrote: »

No ticket, no travel. Simple rules. Rules state you have to in possession of the correct ticket for the correct rain when you travel, no if's but's, my dog ate it etc.

Exact rules apply with Transdev who run the Luas, private company with the same rules......the shock and cheek of them.

I've been checked on the Luas when I didn't have a ticket, leap system was down and didn't have cash. No fine, just an apology.

On the dart ticket machine in Dalkey was broken, got fined in pearse. Finally got it thrown out.

In my experience the difference between Luas and DART is vast

Heisenberg1 · 30-11-2014 06:54PM

Links234 wrote: »

I really wish they'd open things up to private railway companies in this country, a bit of competition would go a long way.

And how much do you think fares will be then ??

fxotoole · 30-11-2014 06:55PM

Heisenberg1 wrote: »

And how much do you think fares will be then ??

Cheaper than they are now.

Heisenberg1 · 30-11-2014 06:57PM

Vuzuggu wrote: »

I've been checked on the Luas when I didn't have a ticket, leap system was down and didn't have cash. No fine, just an apology.

On the dart ticket machine in Dalkey was broken, got fined in pearse. Finally got it thrown out.

In my experience the difference between Luas and DART is vast

But you had a leap card right what's point ?

Captain Chaos · 30-11-2014 06:57PM

Vuzuggu wrote: »

I've been checked on the Luas when I didn't have a ticket, leap system was down and didn't have cash. No fine, just an apology.

On the dart ticket machine in Dalkey was broken, got fined in pearse. Finally got it thrown out.

In my experience the difference between Luas and DART is vast

Just got lucky with the inspectors on the Luas as they shy away from conflict alot of time. Same rules apply though.

Even if you do get fined when Leap goes down you get it appealed. I have many times on both. Leap goes down alot and then you have vandals wrecking the validators.

Heisenberg1 · 30-11-2014 06:59PM

fxotoole wrote: »

Cheaper than they are now.

That's nonsense fares would not be cheaper with another operator they would be much more expensive look at the UK for example.

biomed32 · 30-11-2014 06:59PM

No ticket, no travel. I understand your frustration but was there any opportunity to print out your receipt again through your email so at least you would have something in hand. If you knew you didnt have the ticket in the morning and didn't reprint the ticket from the email its pure laziness.

We all have our gripes with public transport, believe me when I say go ahead with the appeal, you may or may not get it.

jhud · 30-11-2014 07:05PM

Someone I know lost ticket and was going to be fined but they told them where and when they bought ticket a and they cancelled fine

jhud · 30-11-2014 07:05PM

Someone I know lost ticket and was going to be fined but they told them where and when they bought ticket a and they cancelled fine

YellowFeather · 30-11-2014 07:09PM

Kinda the opposite happened to me a few years back. I was on the train from Dublin to Sligo, which I took almost every Friday, and I foolishly fell asleep with my bag beside me.

Woke up to the ticket inspector coming through the carriage and went to my bag for my wallet - and it was gone. Was a bit of a disaster 'cause I had a fair bit of cash in it too for booking a holiday the following day.

The inspector couldn't have been nicer, and reported everything to the guards while I cancelled my cards.

Wallet eventually turned up in Longford. Minus the cash of course.

PizzamanIRL · 30-11-2014 07:10PM

I like to annoy ticket inspectors sometimes if I get a bad vibe from them. I'll pretend I can't find my ticket and then they're about to tell me about how he's going to fine me, I say Oh wait here it is!...

Bubbaclaus · 30-11-2014 07:11PM

No ticket, no travel.

Zillah · 30-11-2014 07:12PM

PizzamanIRL wrote: »

I like to annoy ticket inspectors sometimes if I get a bad vibe from them. I'll pretend I can't find my ticket and then they're about to tell me about how he's going to fine me, I say Oh wait here it is!...

I do this with my allergic friend's epipen, it's hilarious.

Molester Stallone II · 30-11-2014 07:13PM

Bubbaclaus wrote: »

No ticket, no travel.

No woman, no cry

ClovenHoof · 30-11-2014 08:07PM

Just do not ask questions about the 'Family' who run the train station in Cork who went on strike a few years back after one of the younger members of family were fired for 'accounting irregularities' with cash fares. He got his job back.

"Larkin" and all that...

fxotoole · 30-11-2014 08:13PM

Molester Stallone II wrote: »

No woman, no cry fry

FYP

mountsky · 30-11-2014 08:16PM

Sounds harsh, nasty if nothing else,defo appeal it

Clandestine · 01-12-2014 01:39AM

Funny that, I had an issue with my ticket last week and they were nothing but helpful. You just had an issue with one worker there, if you've not had an issue before I wouldn't write them off as a whole now.

hfallada · 01-12-2014 02:28AM

OP appeal the fine. There is a time and a place for a fine. But when you have a ticket purchased to your name and its on a system, its hard to prove that you didnt buy a ticket(although you did have it in person). Someone on this said you could have sold it onto someone. But Irish rail should require you to show ID that its your ticket. Its what you do in Germany, when you buy certain tickets. Dublin Bus inspectors are sound. If you travel over your ticket. I have seen them just make people pay the difference.

OP have you report your robbery to the gardai. So you can include a letter from the gardai with your pulse number and the robbery stated on the letter. Something to prove to Irish rail, you were robbed.

Littlekittylou · 01-12-2014 02:37AM

You paid your fare. Appeal.

Train service in this country is a joke anyway.

I use it to go to mullingar a lot. I remember getting the train there one evening in the winter and none of the carriages had lights and it was FREEZING. I spent the whole journey in the dark for an hour and a half. And the station in Greenbridge is basically a huge shed.

Littlekittylou · 01-12-2014 02:38AM

braddun wrote: »

print out your online ticket

This!

Highflyer13 · 01-12-2014 02:49AM

Ticket machine was broken at my station before and there was nobody in the kiosk. So I got to Pearse and marched straight up to the window with the money in my hand and the gimp that was there issued me a penalty without even checking.

Littlekittylou · 01-12-2014 03:03AM

Highflyer13 wrote: »

Ticket machine was broken at my station before and there was nobody in the kiosk. So I got to Pearse and marched straight up to the window with the money in my hand and the gimp that was there issued me a penalty without even checking.

Also when I used topped up my leap card online I had sometimes to wait a few days for it to come through to the pick up point. Never top up online again. I have heard of people having to wait longer than two days.

They would have their systems better linked if they used fu*king AN POST!

JuliusCaesar · 01-12-2014 07:05AM

Links234 wrote: »

I really wish they'd open things up to private railway companies in this country, a bit of competition would go a long way.

Yes it really worked in the UK :rolleyes:

Nari85 · 01-12-2014 11:47AM

Thanks for all the replies. With regards printing out the ticket again I tried that in Heuston station, the guy behind the counter refused. I asked for anything just to say I had a ticket but no luck. When I booked my online ticket they never sent out an email I had to ring them to get my reservation number.
I would have bought a new ticket but as i said i had no wallet. The train inspector said ring the rpu and they would quash it. I rang them and they said thats BS. I must have it in writing. The thing Im most annoyed is that the inspector checked my reservations details and he said ya you had a ticket but said I could have sold it. Again I would have paid for a new ticket if i had money.

PopePalpatine · 01-12-2014 11:50AM

Heisenberg1 wrote: »

That's nonsense fares would not be cheaper with another operator they would be much more expensive look at the UK for example.

Not to mention that the UK has a much higher population than us and a higher population density. I don't think there would be much of a market to sustain competing train companies here.

2smiggy · 01-12-2014 12:19PM

if rail travel was privatized here the price would definitely go up, as it will be private after all and have to make a profit ?

services would be vastly cut on most routes around the country, some routes closed altogether. free travel taken from the pensioners and unemployed. do you think the government will continue this practice if a private company is billing them ever week for this. At the moment it is only asses on seats, and they might even buy some of the overpriced food or drink on the train.

even the likes of the late trains after some concert or matches would be stopped if there was not enough to be made out of it.

there is a good safety record on the rail here, due to it being well maintained etc. Just some of the things that I would imagine being changed if it was privatized.

As for the OP, send an email detailing you situation and provide the documentation , and I'm sure that the fine would be cancelled.

whisky_galore · 01-12-2014 12:44PM

People always weep and wail about being fined on trains, try travelling by an airline without id or ticket/printed email and just a sob story as back up and see how far you get. You wouldn't get to see the inside of the duty free.
Think letting you get on was their major faux pas, not the fine.

Barely There · 01-12-2014 01:36PM

PopePalpatine wrote: »

Not to mention that the UK has a much higher population than us and a higher population density. I don't think there would be much of a market to sustain competing train companies here.

Ireland doesn't have to population levels, densities or indeed distances to justify an inter-urban rail service on financial, speed, social or environmental grounds.

Our current rail system is used as a glorified OAP transport mechanism.

IE should be abolished and the savings used to develop the rail lines into greenways and add additional capacity to the inter-urban bus fleet.

Unfortunately, no Government has the balls to stand up to the IE Unions or the tree-hugging environmental lobby.

fxotoole · 01-12-2014 02:22PM

Nari85 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. With regards printing out the ticket again I tried that in Heuston station, the guy behind the counter refused. I asked for anything just to say I had a ticket but no luck. When I booked my online ticket they never sent out an email I had to ring them to get my reservation number.
I would have bought a new ticket but as i said i had no wallet. The train inspector said ring the rpu and they would quash it. I rang them and they said thats BS. I must have it in writing. The thing Im most annoyed is that the inspector checked my reservations details and he said ya you had a ticket but said I could have sold it. Again I would have paid for a new ticket if i had money.

Can't you print the reservation off from Irish Rail's website after the fact (I genuinely don't know - never done it)?

if not, do you have the reservation number? Maybe you could include that in your appeal, and ask the appeals officer to look it up on their system?

Dravokivich · 01-12-2014 02:48PM

Barely There wrote: »

Ireland doesn't have to population levels, densities or indeed distances to justify an inter-urban rail service on financial, speed, social or environmental grounds.

Our current rail system is used as a glorified OAP transport mechanism.

IE should be abolished and the savings used to develop the rail lines into greenways and add additional capacity to the inter-urban bus fleet.

Unfortunately, no Government has the balls to stand up to the IE Unions or the tree-hugging environmental lobby.

It serves purpose for a lot of daily commuters. I doubt many people from Longford to Dublin will take to a greenway very well.

It shouldn't be abolished just because it's being mismanaged.

fxotoole wrote: »

Can't you print the reservation off from Irish Rail's website after the fact (I genuinely don't know - never done it)?

if not, do you have the reservation number? Maybe you could include that in your appeal, and ask the appeals officer to look it up on their system?

Tickets can be re-printed from the ticket vending machines.

end of the road · 01-12-2014 03:17PM

Nari85 wrote: »

Just got a 166 euro fine for not having a ticket. I had bought my ticket online as i always do. My wallet was stolen/lost last night. I had to borrow ten euro to get to the train station. I explained the situation in Heuston and they let me on. When I boarded the train Mallow a ticket inspector came on. I went up to him privately between carriages to explain my situation. I had my reservation number. He went away and checked my details. I was on the correct train, i even had a seat reserved. He then told me that he was going to fine me. I'm just so annoyed I always use the train when going to dublin. I feel after this Im never using their service again.

the rule is if you don't have a ticket on you you get fined. do apeal it though and tell your story. make sure next time you have a valid ticket on your person. no point in not using a service just because you were technically in the wrong

end of the road · 01-12-2014 03:22PM

fxotoole wrote: »

Irish Rail have become obsessed with "Revenue Protection" in recent years

well if done right thats no bad thing in fairness. they're are places where people are getting on for free and not paying a cent. however revenue people are only on some trains which is a problem

end of the road · 01-12-2014 03:26PM

Links234 wrote: »

I really wish they'd open things up to private railway companies in this country, a bit of competition would go a long way.

apart from the plan to run tourist type trains, or maybe some freight, what private companies. where are they going to run enough services to compete considering the infrastructure is constrained as it is . where are they going to get the rolling stock. all good calling for private companies but when one may not be upon whats involved, they're is no point

end of the road · 01-12-2014 03:31PM

twinytwo wrote: »

i wish, unions wouldnt have it

and they would be right. private companies want to make a proffit, meaning higher fares and subsidies.

twinytwo wrote: »

place would be shut down....

by the government if privatization was to happen. thats if we make the same mistake as the UK which knowing ireland we probably would.

twinytwo wrote: »

how dare someone try to bring in cheaper and more reliable options.

privatization does not equal cheeper and more reliable options. i'm no fan of irish rail but i believe with good management and proper funding and money management it can be turned around. look at BR toards the end. while it had its problems, it was a very efficient and financially cost effective company which required less subsidy then the privatized railway. the grass is not always greener

iarnrod eireann rant never again.

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