Fares in Northern Ireland

[peterblue]

Is there a rover ticket (or equivalent) for travel within Northern Ireland by Train? I've looked on Translink's website but couldn't find any mention of it.

I'd probably be looking to travel Bangor-Belfast, and Belfast-Derry/Londonderry.

 

[Paul Kelly]

I think it's a Zone 4 iLink card that you need:

Northern Ireland i-link

I'm going to NI to have a look at some of the trains and stations there. I've been to Belfast by car before but have not taken any public transport. Online information is very sparse. It seems like the best ticketing option would be to get a Zone 4 pass on the i-link card, I would need this...

www.railforums.co.uk

iLink Terms and Conditions

Terms and conditions for the iLink travel card

www.translink.co.uk

iLink Travel Card: Zones, Fares & Top-Up Guide

Learn about iLink travel card zones, fares, and how to top-up for bus and rail travel in Northern Ireland. Your guide to integrated travel.

studylib.net

 

[JonathanH]

Is there a rover ticket (or equivalent) for travel within Northern Ireland by Train? I've looked on Translink's website but couldn't find any mention of it.

I'd probably be looking to travel Bangor-Belfast, and Belfast-Derry/Londonderry.

Yes - this

iLink Travelcard

Unlimited day, weekly and monthly travel within specified zones in Northern Ireland

www.translink.co.uk

iLink - Unlimited Bus and Rail Travel
The iLink integrated smartcard provides unlimited day, weekly and monthly bus and rail travel within specified zones across Northern Ireland.
iLink is ideal if you regularly travel by bus and train and when you need more travel you simply top-up! iLink is available for travel on Metro, Glider, NI Railways and Ulsterbus services within 5 zones in Northern Ireland: Zones 1, 2, 3, 4 and the North West Zone.

Also, on Sundays only there is a special ticket.

Sunday Day Tracker

www.translink.co.uk

Sunday Day Tracker
Make your Sunday a Fun Day with the Sunday Day Tracker ticket allows passengers unlimited rail travel on a Sunday. There are no time restrictions on the Sunday Day Tracker, which means you can have Rail fun all Sunday long!

• Adult: £8.00
• Child: £4.00

 

[peterblue]

Thanks. The included bus travel will be useful too.

What's the price of a zone 4 iLink card?

 

[2L70]

£17.50 last time I got one but it might have gone up. That’s for one days travel on all the Translink network.

 

[Ken_Ilworth]

Slightly OT, but might be useful info for some. I purchased iLink z4+NW online in February for a planned trip to NI in June. I've now postponed this for exactly a year and contacted Translink with the following question (couldn't see a definitive answer online):
"Hello, I purchased 3 x iLink cards (with 1day z1-4+NW) for a forthcoming leisure trip to the province in early June. Given the covid situation, I'm planning to delay, possibly until next year. How long does the credit on the ilink card last for?"
I found Translink very helpful and the reply quickly came:
"Thank you for your email. If the travel on the cards has not been already been activated, the cards remain valid indefinitely. Hope this information helps..."

 

[rg177]

I found iLink pretty simple to use in NI.

Ticket office at Lanyon Place issued it without fuss then you just seemed to need to tap it against any readers when there were inspections at stations. Mighty useful when there's a queue of people buying tickets from staff and you can wander past!

On buses I found that I was issued a paper receipt when I tapped it against the machine.

 

[bangor-toad]

£17.50 last time I got one but it might have gone up. That’s for one days travel on all the Translink network.

Hi,
An all zone iLink fare is £16.50 plus £1 if you need to buy the smartcard.

You can't normally buy a card in Bangor station (check my username for how I know ). You can top them up anytime the station is open and there's someone working there. The ticket office opens early and closes late.

If you need to buy a card, you can book it online in advance and have it sent to you. You don't have to pay the £1 for the card if you do this.
If you want / need to buy the card in NI there are surprisingly few places to do so. I think you can get them in the main Great Victoria Street train/bus/coach station or at the Translink desk at the back of the Tourist Information office on Donegal Square. Pre Covid you could also buy them at information desks at the airports but I've no idea if that's possible right now.

If you're travelling to Bangor train station you can use the Bangor town buses to get there - it's included in the iLink daily rate.

Another tip is to sit on the right hand side of both trains - the view's are far better for the journey you mention.

All the best,
Mr Toad

 

[2L70]

Hi,
An all zone iLink fare is £16.50 plus £1 if you need to buy the smartcard.

You can't normally buy a card in Bangor station (check my username for how I know )

Might be in Bangor this weekend mate. Couldn’t remember the exact price

 

[Wolfie]

Hi,
An all zone iLink fare is £16.50 plus £1 if you need to buy the smartcard.

You can't normally buy a card in Bangor station (check my username for how I know ). You can top them up anytime the station is open and there's someone working there. The ticket office opens early and closes late.

If you need to buy a card, you can book it online in advance and have it sent to you. You don't have to pay the £1 for the card if you do this.
If you want / need to buy the card in NI there are surprisingly few places to do so. I think you can get them in the main Great Victoria Street train/bus/coach station or at the Translink desk at the back of the Tourist Information office on Donegal Square. Pre Covid you could also buy them at information desks at the airports but I've no idea if that's possible right now.

If you're travelling to Bangor train station you can use the Bangor town buses to get there - it's included in the iLink daily rate.

Another tip is to sit on the right hand side of both trains - the view's are far better for the journey you mention.

All the best,
Mr Toad

Mr T

Is "you can't normally buy a card at Bangor station" a rather unfortunate typo? The rest of the text suggests that you definitely can...

 

[najaB]

Mr T

Is "you can't normally buy a card at Bangor station" a rather unfortunate typo? The rest of the text suggests that you definitely can...

I read it as you can't buy them, but can top them up.

 

[Haywain]

I read it as you can't buy them, but can top them up.

Me too.

 

[Wolfie]

I read it as you can't buy them, but can top them up.

Having read it again you are absolutely correct.