Chance of free Cork-Dublin rail tickets in route price war

IRISH RAIL is considering offering free tickets on its Cork-Dublin route as part of a price war.

The company is piloting a zero fares scheme on its Galway to Dublin route and said, if this proves successful, it may introduce it on other destinations.

Free fares are being offered on early morning journeys from Galway to Dublin and afternoon journeys from Dublin to Galway when passengers book online. However, there is a €2 booking charge per transaction.

An Irish Rail spokeswoman said the company has introduced the offer to boost traffic to its website and increase online sales.

“We may look at introducing this on other routes including Dublin to Cork, this would be subject to demand and revenue generation,” she said.

The introduction of zero fares is in direct response to Ryanair which is now offering one-way flights from Cork to Dublin for €10 including all taxes and charges.

The airline is offering deals where passengers do not have to pay taxes and charges or an online booking fee.

Buses are also available on the Cork to Dublin route for €19.80 return.

Irish Rail and Ryanair have been battling to lure customers as the road network between the two cities improved.

In May the road journey time between Dublin and Cork was reduced by up to 45 minutes at peak time following the opening of the M7/M8 motorway.

Ryanair launched flights from Cork to Dublin five years ago and since then Irish Rail have been offering lower ticket prices online.

A check on the Irish Rail website shows that about one in 10 tickets a week on the Cork to Dublin route are offered for €10. However, many of these tickets are for early morning, weekday journeys.

An Irish Rail spokeswoman said that the number of zero fares on offer depends on demand.

“We constantly monitor our online offering and offers are dependent on the positive impact they make on our revenue stream and is subject to customer demand,” she said.

Irish Rail has, however, been criticised by the Consumer Association for slapping a €2 transaction charge on internet bookings.