Cyclists are to be allowed for the first time ever to take their bikes on commuter trains, it was announced today.
Bicycles will be allowed on trains, including Dublin and Cork commuter services, free of charge during off-peak periods.
The times are between 10am and 3.30pm, and after 7pm from Monday to Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. This excluded times of major fixtures, concerts and other events at Lansdowne Road and Croke Park.
Minister of State for Sustainable Transport Ciarán Cuffe and Anthony Moran of Cycling Ireland launched the initiative at Connolly Station in Dublin.
They also announced that cyclists may also now book bicycle spaces online for Intercity services for €6 per journey.
Mr Cuffe said the Government’s national cycling policy put significant emphasis on integrating cycling and rail travel as sustainable modes of transport. “Enabling cyclists to take bikes on off-peak Darts and commuter trains is another positive step toward building a strong cycling culture in Ireland,” he said.
Cycling Ireland said the initiative would allow people to consider cycling as an alternative means of transport over longer distances by using a train service for part of their journey.
Iarnrod Éireann said it hoped the initiative would promote even more use of its services by cyclists.
The company has undertaken an audit of bicycle parking facilities at its 142 stations around the country.
It said this would allow improvements in facilities to be targeted at areas underserved at present, and an improvement in the accessibility of stations for cyclists.