Larne to Rosslare ticketing

[ForTheLoveOf]

Ticket advice for a journey from Larne to Rosslare, changing at Belfast Lanyon Place and Dublin Connolly, would be appreciated. SailRail is not relevant here as the ferry is being paid for separately.

As far as I can tell, Irish Rail purport to ban split ticketing on their trains. However, I cannot see any way to find through fares from Larne to Rosslare. I suspect they may not exist. What ticket(s) do they expect you to buy in that circumstance?

I can see through fares from Belfast to Rosslare using the Irish Rail website. However it refers me to the Translink website if I try and buy the ticket in that direction (i.e. starting in Northern Ireland). The Translink website doesn't let me enter destinations beyond Dublin, so the longest journey I can specify there is Larne to Dublin.

So is it expected that travellers from Larne to Rosslare split at Dublin? If so, what happens if you buy a Low Fare ticket from Dublin to Rosslare and miss the connection at Dublin because of a late-running Enterprise service from Belfast (or miss the Enterprise service because of a late-running Larne service)? Would you be permitted to travel on the next train and/or given overnight accommodation where necessary, or would you have to pay up for a new ticket and/or accommodation?

I have also noticed that the cheapest way of doing things would actually be to book three tickets, one for each train on the journey, since Translink don't sell Low Fare tickets from Larne to Dublin, and Irish Rail Low Fare tickets from Belfast to Rosslare cost more than the sum of separate Low Fare tickets from Belfast to Dublin and Dublin to Rosslare. But I guess if you are 'voluntarily' splitting tickets then they will consider you to have also 'voluntarily' given up the rights incumbent with a through ticket, correct?

It's disappointing that you seem to be passed from pillar to post just to buy through tickets across the border. And that's quite apart from the pricing policies and attitude to split ticketing.

 

[Elwyn]

I have travelled from Antrim to Rosslare, and I bought 3 tickets. (Antrim to Belfast, Belfast to Dublin and Dublin to Rosslare). Antrim to Belfast I bought on the day, the other 2 were booked on-line.

I have no idea what the rules say about missed connections but I have to say I have always found Translink and CIE to be pretty sensible, and if they are satisfied that you are truthful and reasonable they’ll let you travel on the next available train. I doubt they’ll offer accommodation if you miss your connection.

Last time I travelled from Dublin to Rosslare I don’t think tickets were checked at all. The Belfast train nearly always arrives in platform 2 at Connolly and Rosslare usually departs from 5. You can walk from one to the other without going through the ticket barrier.

 

[berneyarms]

The only place that you can buy such a through ticket from Larne to Rosslare is at A railway station in Northern Ireland.

They aren’t available online.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Thanks for both the responses. Do you have any idea what the through fare would be? I'm assuming it'd be rather more than the ~£30 for splitting at Belfast and Dublin.

 

[Elwyn]

I would ring Translink in Belfast and ask for the fare. You might need to price Belfast – Rosslare and add Belfast to Larne. But yes, getting advance tickets should be considerably cheaper. 028 9066 6630.

https://www.translink.co.uk/home

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Is it possible to collect tickets booked with Irish Rail at Belfast Lanyon Place? If so, that would enable a split at Dundalk, which is the cheapest option not involving any risk of stranding. But if you have to get off at Dundalk and print the ticket there, that isn't much use given the current Enterprise service frequency. You'd be stuck there for nearly 4 hours!

 

[berneyarms]

Is it possible to collect tickets booked with Irish Rail at Belfast Lanyon Place? If so, that would enable a split at Dundalk, which is the cheapest option not involving any risk of stranding. But if you have to get off at Dundalk and print the ticket there, that isn't much use given the current Enterprise service frequency. You'd be stuck there for nearly 4 hours!

No, NIR do not print Irish Rail tickets.

The situation is this:

OP if you want a protected journey from Larne to Rosslare, then you need to buy the ticket at Larne Harbour station. You can get the ticket price by calling Translink directly on the phone.

Otherwise purchase a Larne-Dublin Connolly ticket online from Translink and a separate Dublin Connolly-Rosslare Europort ticket from Irish Rail on their respective websites.

Splitting tickets as is permitted on GB railways, is not permitted on the island of Ireland and no protection would be afforded for the through journey.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Thanks for clarifying.