A chara, – In Derek Scally’s excellent article about European rail’s renaissance (“‘The journey takes as long as it should’: can Ireland join the train revolution?”, Travel, July 22nd), a Department of Transport spokesman said: “Ireland and France are working to launch a sail-rail product later this summer that combines French and Irish trains with a ferry ticket.”
Currently the popular sail-rail deal with the ferries and British train companies, which is excellent value and allows passengers to travel on one ticket from, say, Enniscorthy to Manchester, is incomplete. Passengers arriving at Connolly station have to pay for the bus that connects them to the ferry at Dublin Port and vice versa.
Until the Celtic Tiger collapse, the bus was included in the fare but since then passengers must pay for the bus.
I have seen foot-passengers arriving from Britain who are surprised and furious at this.
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The Minister for Transport, who is all in favour of integrated transport as part of a cleaner and greener future, is aware of this specific anomaly but has done nothing yet to fix it. – Is mise,
PASCAL
Ó DEASMHUMHNAIGH,
Inis Corthaidh,
Co Loch Garman.