The National Transport Authority has once again failed to deliver on promises of fare reductions for commuters and other passengers living in the Drogheda and East Meath area.
After many years of campaigning by local TDs, councillors and passenger groups, the NTA finally announced in January that Drogheda and Laytown would be included in the new Dublin Commuter Zone by September 2024 which would result in significantly lower fares, but that has now been put back to early 2025.
So, despite a major drive to get people to travel by public transport rather than use their cars, and with the Dart due in Drogheda shortly, the question of intolerably high fares has yet to be tackled.
- Adult Return from Drogheda to Dublin reduced from €19.50 to €14.00.
- Weekly adult ticket from €61.20 to €56.00
- Monthly adult ticket from €211 to €196.
“Significant technical challenges”
Needless to say local TDs are up in arms over this delay which Deputy Fergus O’Dowd was told by the NTA was due to “significant technical challenges.”
“I find that completely unacceptable” O’Dowd said. “I recently met with the Chief Executive of Irish Rail and he had been very positive about the impending change in fares and said Irish Rail were certainly not going to be found wanting in terms of implementing whatever technical systems were required.
Writing to the Minister for Transport, O’Dowd said: “The only fair outcome would be for a temporary fare reduction for the targeted areas until such time that the new technical processing systems are in place.
“The residents of Drogheda and East Meath deserve better and I must insist that the government directly intervene and expedite these reduction one way or the other.”
Woeful lack of preparation
Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster was less conciliatory, saying: “For many years now I’ve been raising the issue of the unfairness of rail fares between Balbriggan when compared to Gormanstown, Laytown and Drogheda and was told that the review would address these issues.
“The review was finally published in April 2023 – almost 15 months ago and in January of this year the NTA outlined in its Fare Determination that fare reductions in the Dublin Commuter Zone would be introduced in September.
“Now that we’re less than two months out we’re hearing that there will be further delays. This shows a woeful lack of preparation from the NTA.
“It demonstrates that there is no urgency on the NTA’s part to deliver on their commitments to deliver affordable and fair public transport and fares.
“The NTA have blamed Irish Rail and others, but they should have engaged and ensured that this change could be delivered on time for commuters to avail of more affordable public transport when people go back to work after their summer break.
“This is a very disappointing development for commuters and the fact that this could have, and should have been avoided compounds it.”
Cash-cows
Labour Deputy Ged Nash also slammed the delayed rollout of the new Dublin Commuter Zone. “For too long, Drogheda, South Louth and East Meath-based train users have been cash-cows paying unjustifiably high adult daily, monthly and annual rates to use trains on the busiest line in the country” he said.
“As I have continually pointed out, we have been forced to pay almost double the price for the same length of train journey as Wicklow commuters.
He said that extending the Dublin Commuter Zone to Drogheda and Laytown as promised would have seen a massive saving for commuters, students and working-families at a time when incomes are already stretched by a sustained cost-of-living crisis.
“For example, he said, “the anticipated new fare system would have reduced the cost of a single train journey from Drogheda, Co Louth, to Dublin Connolly station from €11.95 to €6. The delay in implementing a fairer fare structure is unacceptable at this stage and the NTA must urgently get their act together.
“Louth & East Meath commuters need immediate relief from these unreasonable fares in advance of the upcoming Budget. I am calling on the Minister for Transport to directly intervene and take action to expedite this process. Addressing this issue promptly is essential to support the thousands of people who rely on public transport daily and for those who wish to commute in a more sustainable matter.”
