Enterprise passengers from Belfast to Dublin can pay double

Figures from Translink and Irish Rail websites show that passengers travelling from Belfast Lanyon Place to Dublin Connolly Station on 1 July on the 08:00 service would pay:

Passengers travelling from Dublin Connolly Station to Belfast Lanyon Place on the 07:35 service on the same day would pay:

Andrew McDonald, an independent rail campaigner, does not believe there is any justification for the gap in prices.

“I know Translink and Irish Rail do work together when it comes to their cross-border services, but it feels like when it comes to the actual pricing and ticketing structure, they just do their own thing,” he told BBC Radio Ulster’s Evening Extra programme.

“Maybe a bit more communication about how to meet in the middle with ticket prices, might be more beneficial.

“Maybe there is a strategy behind it we are not aware of, but if there is a strategy behind it, it would be nice to know why, because at the end of the day, it’s us the people that use the services that do suffer.”

At present, you can only book tickets for the Enterprise on the website in the country where your journey originates.

Currently, passengers from Northern Ireland cannot reserve a seat with standard or websaver fares.

Translink said in a statement that the Enterprise service is operated as a joint venture by Irish Rail and Translink and that each company “has its own ticketing/IT systems, fare structures and special offers and operate in different jurisdictions with different government policies”.

“The Republic of Ireland government has discounted public transport fares by 20% across the board, which includes Enterprise tickets for journeys originating south of the border,” it added.

“All Enterprise customers originating from Northern Ireland will be able to book their seats online later this year.”