O'Rourke slams delay in fare reductions until 2025

An East Meath TD has slammed the delayed rollout of the new Dublin Commuter Zone which would have seen significant savings for Meath commuters.

A delay in implementing fair reductions for passengers travelling to Dublin from Meath is "a blow" for local commuters according to TD Darren O'Rourke.

Last week senior officials from the National Transport Authority (NTA) revealed to a Dáil committee meeting that plans to reduce train fares in the new Dublin Commuter Zone which were scheduled for September, will now not go ahead until next year.

The delays were attributed to technology and administration issues with elements such as Leap Cards and gate validation points.

In January of this year, an NTA fare review announced a major overhaul in fares charged in the commuter counties of Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.

The Dublin Commuter Zone which will extend approximately 50km from Dublin city centre to include towns such as Navan, Trim, Enfield, Laytown, Ashbourne and Drogheda .

In some cases, commuters would see a massive 50per cent reduction, such as the standard single adult rail fare from Drogheda to Dublin which will drop from €11.95 to just €6.

Bus users in Ashbourne and Ratoath will also be included in the Dublin City Zone with fares to the city centre reducing from €3.40 to just €2.40 on Leap. As part of the Dublin Commuter Zone, bus users in Dunshaughlin will see a reduction in their ticket price to the city centre from €4.06 to €3.70, and in Trim the fare will be reduced massively from €7.35 to just €5.30, a 28 per cent saving.

However, senior officials from the National Transport Authority (NTA) told a Dáil committee meeting those plans have been put off until the first months of next year due to technology and "back office" issues.

Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, Darren O'Rourke, says delays with long-promised public transport fare reductions are hugely frustrating and should have been avoided.

Deputy O'Rourke, a member of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, was speaking after the National Transport Authority (NTA) attended before the Committee and confirmed that fare reductions for Meath commuters will not now happen in September as originally planned.

"This delay is incredibly frustrating and, make no mistake about it, it could have and should have been avoided," he said.

"This is incredibly frustrating, particularly when you consider that the process of reviewing fare structures has been going on for an extended period. In fact, the fares review was committed to as far back as 2021, if not earlier," added O'Rourke.

" Time after time, when I raised the issue of anomalies in the fare structures - in rail fares between Balbriggan versus Gormanston, Laytown and Drogheda for example, or in bus fares between towns equidistant to Dublin - I was told that the review was on the horizon. On 27th April 2023, more than 15 months ago now, the product of that review - the National Fares Strategy - was eventually published.

" A further 9 months later on 24th January 2024, the NTA issued its 'Fare Determination' and outlined the phasing of the proposed changes, including fare reductions in the Dublin Commuter Zone in September.

"It's only now, and only in response to questions from TDs on behalf of their constituents, that the NTA confirmed a further delay. This is more than incredibly frustrating."

The blame game will not help cash strapped commuters who will be left to carry the burden of this delay according to Deputy O'Rourke.

"The NTA blame Irish Rail and Luas and their respective contractors but, in truth, they could have and should have engaged with them earlier and ensured that the necessary preparations were in place,” he said.

" As a result of their collective failures, tens of thousands of commuters in Co. Meath will be forced to endure higher fares for months more," he added.

"To add insult to injury, while the problem relates only to the rail network, the NTA won't implement the fare reductions on bus services until they are ready on rail services.

"This news will come as a blow to commuters in Meath. The NTA, Irish Rail and Luas must do everything they can to deliver these changes in the quickest possible timeframe. Every day counts."

Meanwhile Bettystown councillor and long time 'fairer fares' campaigner Sharon Tolan says the move is "unacceptable."

"Whilst I appreciate that subcontractors can often shift the goalposts and deadlines on projects, the National Transport Authority committed to implementing new zones, new fare structures and ultimately reduced fares for those using public transport around the country, but especially those who have been affected by a huge disparity of fares for many many years," said Cllr Tolan.

"Q3 2024 was the period confirmed for Phase 2, when the latest Fares Determination was released," she added.

"The new timeline is Q1 2025, and while we can all accept that introducing a new zonal fare structure across rail and bus services is not an easy process, the fact remains that it is still entirely possible for the NTA to just reduce fares and allow customers to use the newly installed Leap equipment, without the changes to zones.

" They have after all, implemented Phase 1 in June which involved increasing fares in some areas."