Rail & Sail Query - Fishguard-Dublin

[Iskra]

If I was to book a Rail and Sail ticket from Cardiff on the ferry from Fishguard to travel to Dublin, would the Rail & Sail ticket cover me all the way to Dublin, or would I need a separate ticket from Rosslare to Dublin on the Irish side? Apologies if that's a daft question.

 

[Watershed]

If I was to book a Rail and Sail ticket from Cardiff on the ferry from Fishguard to travel to Dublin, would the Rail & Sail ticket cover me all the way to Dublin, or would I need a separate ticket from Rosslare to Dublin on the Irish side? Apologies if that's a daft question.

I can't see any fares for the Fishguard route through to Dublin. I think they might once have existed but they don't seem to anymore.

If you can somehow manage to buy a ticket via Fishguard though to Dublin then it would indeed be valid on Irish Rail.

In fairness, the Advance-type tickets sold on Irish Rail's website are generally very affordable so you're not talking about a huge extra cost if you do have pay separately.

 

[Iskra]

I can't see any fares for the Fishguard route through to Dublin. I think they might once have existed but they don't seem to anymore.

If you can somehow manage to buy a ticket via Fishguard though to Dublin then it would indeed be valid on Irish Rail.

In fairness, the Advance-type tickets sold on Irish Rail's website are generally very affordable so you're not talking about a huge extra cost if you do have pay separately.

Thanks for your assistance. Yes, I fully agree about about reasonableness of the pricing on the Irish side

 

[father_jack]

Through Sailrail tickets to Irish stations are nowadays only available via Holyhead on both ferry companies. There used be fares via Fishguard to all irish stations up to when the Waterford/Limerick line closed in 2008 and then on the Dublin line until the long term Arriva Trains Wales pricing management moved to other roles about a dozen years ago. There were even fares via Pembroke at one stage.

 

[CyrusWuff]

You can still buy through tickets as far as Rosslare Harbour via Fishguard, but there's only five minutes between the morning ferry's scheduled arrival and the train departing and zero minutes for the evening arrival.

Stena's website suggests it's a 15 minute walk between the railway station and the terminal.

 

[James H]

We stayed overnight in Rosslare between arriving on the ferry and catching the morning train. As mentioned our tickets to Dublin were very reasonable.

We had reached Rosslare on Sailrail tickets issued from Elephant & Castle. Can’t be many of those sold.

 

[185143]

You can still buy through tickets as far as Rosslare Harbour via Fishguard, but there's only five minutes between the morning ferry's scheduled arrival and the train departing and zero minutes for the evening arrival.

Stena's website suggests it's a 15 minute walk between the railway station and the terminal.

It used to work very well. Off the evening arrival and dive onto the train with around 20 minutes to spare. Nowadays Stena changed the times of the ferry and neither Irish Rail nor TfW have changed the train times to connect with them.

 

[Iskra]

Thanks all for the help and advice.

One further question, how far in advance can you buy Railsail tickets?

 

[James H]

Updated my post above - I had previously referred to Fishguard when I meant Rosslare (!)

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

One wonders what the point is of running trains to Rosslare Hbr if they fail so spectacularly to connect with the boats? The local traffic must be next to zero. Presumably there are pathing problems at the Dublin end to permit adjustment to the timings? I see there are proposals to run the Rosslare trains to and from Bray only with a Dublin connection by DART.

The bus connections to Waterford and Cork are not very clever either - the timetable seems to have been trimmed since I last used it just before COVID.

 

[Iskra]

One wonders what the point is of running trains to Rosslare Hbr if they fail so spectacularly to connect with the boats? The local traffic must be next to zero. Presumably there are pathing problems at the Dublin end to permit adjustment to the timings? I see there are proposals to run the Rosslare trains to and from Bray only with a Dublin connection by DART.

The bus connections to Waterford and Cork are not very clever either - the timetable seems to have been trimmed since I last used it just before COVID.

Exactly, and this is where the ticket not being a through one is problematic as if the connection isn’t made you’d be buying a new ticket. Presumably there’s some padding in the ferry timetable and it works most of the time?

As I’m travelling in winter, I’m going to have to leave ample time for a connection and go for the 07:XX train, meaning a potential long wait in the cold.

 

[paul1609]

I rather imagine the reason is that ferry foot passengers going on the train to Dublin are so small in numbers that it makes no sense to accomodate them if there is any cost associated with doing so. This is definately the case at Dover going to London where during the last few years of the connecting bus it mostly ran empty or with passenger numbers that would have comfotably fitted in a taxi.

 

[kkong]

Stena's website suggests it's a 15 minute walk between the railway station and the terminal.

When I arrived at Rosslare on the ferry from Fishguard last year, foot passengers were driven through immigration in a bus and dropped off in a car park.

It was a 5 minute walk to Rosslare Europort station from there.

But I wouldn't plan on catching a service with a 5 minute connection, too many variables for that.

 

[Flying Snail]

It used to work very well. Off the evening arrival and dive onto the train with around 20 minutes to spare. Nowadays Stena changed the times of the ferry and neither Irish Rail nor TfW have changed the train times to connect with them.

Stena have changed the sailing times twice, TfW did alter their trains to connect the first time but haven't changed them again. The overnight connection eastbound is now completely gone and westbound it has a 3 and a half hour wait.

One wonders what the point is of running trains to Rosslare Hbr if they fail so spectacularly to connect with the boats? The local traffic must be next to zero. Presumably there are pathing problems at the Dublin end to permit adjustment to the timings? I see there are proposals to run the Rosslare trains to and from Bray only with a Dublin connection by DART.

The bus connections to Waterford and Cork are not very clever either - the timetable seems to have been trimmed since I last used it just before COVID.

The Rosslare - Dublin was never really a ferry connection, demand was never high for that route from Dublin. Traditionally it was the route from the south and south west via Waterford.

The usage of the line south of Wexford is very low, on merit it would have closed years ago but politically, after closing the south Wexford line it was never going to happen.

Numbers from the annual rail census are here, page 54.

https://www.nationaltransport.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NTA-National-Rail-Census-Report-2022-Final.pdf

Changing the time of the early train from Rosslare to give a connection to the new ferry arrival wouldn't be possible as it is a key commuter service into Dublin, arriving at 08.45.

The bus times from Rosslare to Waterford/Cork haven't changed in many years.

https://assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com/571a68d0-9496-01c9-92db-f215b9246a29/bedfd658-e0ff-4cbe-8221-d54bed1b4c97/route40-eff-june-2023.pdf

There is also the 370 services that were set up to substitute for the closed Waterford - Rosslare railway.

https://www.buseireann.ie/timetables/370-1691670763.pdf

What has changed is the truncation of the Dublin - Rosslare route back to Wexford, at one point it was a near 24 hour route which by default connected to all the ferries to/from Rosslare but like the rail line it carried hardly anyone south of Wexford. Bus Eireann relocated their depot from Rosslare to Wexford and saved over an hour per round trip.

Wexford - Rosslare is now primarily served by a reasonably frequent Local Link route that does have an early enough arrival for the morning Stena departure and an earlier service from Rosslare.

https://www.transportforireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TFI-LL-R387-V2-Web.pdf

You won't get to the morning ferry from further away than Wexford, unless you take the latest bus from Dublin at 1am that would mean hanging around Wexford from 3.20 to 6 am.

As for waiting in the cold on arrival at Rosslare for the later train, the ferry terminal will be open and has seating.

 

[Iskra]

Stena have changed the sailing times twice, TfW did alter their trains to connect the first time but haven't changed them again. The overnight connection eastbound is now completely gone and westbound it has a 3 and a half hour wait.



The Rosslare - Dublin was never really a ferry connection, demand was never high for that route from Dublin. Traditionally it was the route from the south and south west via Waterford.

The usage of the line south of Wexford is very low, on merit it would have closed years ago but politically, after closing the south Wexford line it was never going to happen.

Numbers from the annual rail census are here, page 54.

https://www.nationaltransport.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NTA-National-Rail-Census-Report-2022-Final.pdf

Changing the time of the early train from Rosslare to give a connection to the new ferry arrival wouldn't be possible as it is a key commuter service into Dublin, arriving at 08.45.

The bus times from Rosslare to Waterford/Cork haven't changed in many years.

https://assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com/571a68d0-9496-01c9-92db-f215b9246a29/bedfd658-e0ff-4cbe-8221-d54bed1b4c97/route40-eff-june-2023.pdf

There is also the 370 services that were set up to substitute for the closed Waterford - Rosslare railway.

https://www.buseireann.ie/timetables/370-1691670763.pdf

What has changed is the truncation of the Dublin - Rosslare route back to Wexford, at one point it was a near 24 hour route which by default connected to all the ferries to/from Rosslare but like the rail line it carried hardly anyone south of Wexford. Bus Eireann relocated their depot from Rosslare to Wexford and saved over an hour per round trip.

Wexford - Rosslare is now primarily served by a reasonably frequent Local Link route that does have an early enough arrival for the morning Stena departure and an earlier service from Rosslare.

https://www.transportforireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TFI-LL-R387-V2-Web.pdf

You won't get to the morning ferry from further away than Wexford, unless you take the latest bus from Dublin at 1am that would mean hanging around Wexford from 3.20 to 6 am.

As for waiting in the cold on arrival at Rosslare for the later train, the ferry terminal will be open and has seating.

That's good to know, thank you!

 

[Iskra]

My ticket has now arrived for this, and apart from the reservation coupon for the specific ferry, the ticket is very sparse on detail when it comes to route and trains. The online itinerary told me which trains to take, but as there are no mandatory reservations stated, am I free to disregard these and travel via any reasonable route, setting off earlier to allow me to have an evening in Fishguard and get some food there rather than arriving late in the evening?

 

[poffle]

My ticket has now arrived for this, and apart from the reservation coupon for the specific ferry, the ticket is very sparse on detail when it comes to route and trains. The online itinerary told me which trains to take, but as there are no mandatory reservations stated, am I free to disregard these and travel via any reasonable route, setting off earlier to allow me to have an evening in Fishguard and get some food there rather than arriving late in the evening?

Is that a ticket bought from the ferry company or from a UK rail company ? They have different Ts & C's.

My guess would be that if you're using TFW trains and have a ticket nobody's going to be quizzing you on it. ?

 

[Iskra]

Is that a ticket bought from the ferry company or from a UK rail company ? They have different Ts & C's.

My guess would be that if you're using TFW trains and have a ticket nobody's going to be quizzing you on it. ?

It was bought through TFW. The online itinerary was Sheffield-Bristol Parkway-Carmarthen- Fishguard Harbour with limited breaks and arriving late at night. I'd rather set off earlier, travel via Manchester for a (potential) loco hauled set and then have an evening in Fishguard for some food and beer before heading towards the ferry.

 

[kkong]

In my experience, I wouldn't concern myself with following reservations (provided it's a "Standby" ticket - the "Advance" tickets do have mandatory reservations).

I turned up at Swansea the day after my ticket was dated for (I spent the night in Swansea; the journey wasn't possible to complete that day).

Of course, the ticket didn't work the barrier, but I was let through by dint of holding a piece of orange card. The guard on the train to Fishguard said nothing either.

 

[Iskra]

In my experience, I wouldn't concern myself with following reservations (provided it's a "Standby" ticket - the "Advance" tickets do have mandatory reservations).

I turned up at Swansea the day after my ticket was dated for (I spent the night in Swansea; the journey wasn't possible to complete that day).

Of course, the ticket didn't work the barrier, but I was let through by dint of holding a piece of orange card. The guard on the train to Fishguard said nothing either.

Thank you, that’s reassuring

 

[Flying Snail]

As kkong said, "Sailrail Advance" are booked train only and as they have "Advance" on them there is no wiggle room.

"Sailrail Standby" despite the stupid name are unrestricted apart from no Break of Journey. As long as it is a valid route Sheffield - Fishguard Harbour then you are fine.

 

[Iskra]

As kkong said, "Sailrail Advance" are booked train only and as they have "Advance" on them there is no wiggle room.

"Sailrail Standby" despite the stupid name are unrestricted apart from no Break of Journey. As long as it is a valid route Sheffield - Fishguard Harbour then you are fine.

Thanks!