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Leap Cards can be purchased at Ticket Vending Machines in stations within the Short Hop Zone or online at www.leapcard.ie or in selected retail outlets. TFI Leap Cards are also available in many PostPoint outlets as well as all post offices nationwide.

The Leap Card can be used for rail travel between stations within the 'Short Hop Zone'. This Zone includes all stations in the Dublin area from Kilcoole to Balbriggan and Commuter Stations from Dublin City Centre to Kilcock and from Dublin Heuston to Sallins and Naas.

The Leap Card also works in the Cork Commuter area.   

Usage outside of the Short Hop Zone and Cork commuter Rail services will result in a Fixed Payment Notice of €100 plus the relevant unpaid fare.

Travel Credit works in a similar way to mobile phone credit. Every time you use the card to travel the cost of the journey is deducted. If there is insufficient no credit on the card it cannot be used for any further journeys until it is 'Topped Up' at a ticket machine or online at www.leapcard.ie.

There are no Top-Up facilities at Ticket Offices.

1. Place the Leap Card in the slot provided.
2. Select the Top-Up Amount from options shown on the screen
3. Insert the amount selected - Notes/Coins/Credit or Debit Cards accepted
4. Remove the Leap Card from the pocket as indicated on screen
5. Your Leap Card is now Topped Up and ready for immediate use

You can now reserve seats on most Intercity trains:

• Online at www.irishrail.ie
• At selected Intercity Stations

Iarnród Éireann recommends purchasing tickets in advance to ease ticket queues at peak times.

*Advance reservations can be made up to 90 days in advance* 

Alternatively; DART, Commuter and non-reservable Intercity tickets may be purchased in advance or on the day of travel from DART, Commuter and Intercity stations and a selection of monthly commuter tickets are available at your station.

Reservations made Online/Telesales:

• Visa Debit Card
• Mastercard
• Credit Card

We do not accept American Express cards.

Reservation made in person (ie at selected booking offices):

• Cash
• Credit/Debit Cards

Tickets can only be purchased on the train if the ticket office is closed and if the ticket vending machines are not in operation.

You can now reserve seats on most Intercity trains:

• Online at www.irishrail.ie
• By calling +353 (0)1 8366 222 between 08:30hrs-18:00hrs Monday to Friday 
• At selected Intercity Stations

Iarnród Éireann recommends purchasing tickets in advance to ease ticket queues at peak times.

*Advance reservations can be made up to 90 days in advance* 

Alternatively; DART, Commuter and non-reservable Intercity tickets may be purchased in advance or on the day of travel from DART, Commuter and Intercity stations and a selection of monthly commuter tickets are available at your station.

Iarnród Éireann sells a variety of tickets. Click here for a list of ticket types

Most of our fares are available from our Fares and Tickets section. However, if you cannot find the fare you require then please contact us.

If your train was delayed due to circumstances within the control of Iarnród Éireann the following apply;

If you are more than one hour late in arriving at your destination, we will normally offer you discount vouchers for use against future ticket purchases. The value of discount vouchers is based on the length of delay and the fare you have paid for your single journey.

For delays of one to two hours, we will give you vouchers to the value of 50 percent of the fare you have paid for the portion of your journey affected.

For delays over two hours, we will give you vouchers to the value of 100 percent of the fare you have paid for the portion of your journey affected.
 
Click here to view our passenger charter.

You must make all refund claims within 28 days of the end date of your ticket. We may ask for extra evidence to support your claim for a refund.

An administration fee will be charged and if you have purchased a reservation either online, telesales or at a booking office the terms and conditions you agreed to will apply.

If you did not buy your ticket from Iarnród Éireann, you should return it to the place where you bought your ticket from. They will arrange any refund due (if any) and may charge you an administration fee.

If we fail to honour your seat reservation, and no other seat of similar standard on the same service is available for you, we will refund the fare of your single journey in travel vouchers.

For information on the Free Travel Pass scheme please see the below links;

• If you wish to book onto a train see our handy guide Booking a 'Free Travel Pass or Valid Ticket' option 
• For information on how to travel with a Free Travel Pass on rail services see our FAQ Do I need to get a ticket to accompany my Free Travel/Public Services Card?
• For more information on how to use your Public Service Card for free travel check out this TFI How to use your PSC for free travel leaflet or visit freetravel.ie
• For information on what a Free Travel Pass is go to the Department of Social Protection website, contact your local Social Welfare Office or Call their Information Line at 1890 500 000 (from the Republic of Ireland only) or 00353 71 915 7100 (from Northern Ireland or overseas).

All free travel passes are issued by the Department of Social Protection not by the transport provider. Free travel passes are non-transferrable and can only be used by the named person. You cannot use your Free Travel Pass on services not listed in the official timetable, on tours and special rail services. You can only use your Free Travel Pass on all regular timetable services.

Iarnród Éireann operates a fixed penalty payment scheme on all our routes, (Intercity, Commuter and DART). You must Purchase a valid ticket for the journey you are making, before joining the train.

If you don’t have a valid ticket on board the Train you will have to pay a fixed penalty payment of €100 plus the unpaid fare.
Here are the contact details for our Revenue Protection Unit

Revenue Protection Building
Connolly Station
Amiens Street,
Dublin 1

Tel: 1850 366 222 
Email: rpu@irishrail.ie

Yes, a Luas add on is available for customer travelling on rail services. Simply select 'Dublin Connolly' if your selected services orgin or destination is 'Dublin Heuston' and if the origin or destination is 'Dublin Heuston' select 'Dublin Connolly'.  Origin and destination of services can be seen on our Intercity Route Map.

For example; if you are travelling from Cork you would select 'Dublin Connolly' for the Luas add on. Or if you are travelling from Sligo you would select 'Dublin Heuston' for the Luas add on.

The Luas ticket allows customers to travel on the Luas Red Line between Dublin Heuston and Dublin Connolly/George's Dock or the 90 and 145 Dublin Bus to Lesson Street for the date or dates on the ticket only.

Cost: €1.70 each way.
Available from: irishrail.ie as an origin and or destination
Available from: Ticket vending machines or booking offices into Dublin only

Any ticket which has become defaced, illegible, mutilated, torn, split, lost, mislaid or stolen will not be valid for travel, replaced or eligible for refund. Customers must purchase a new ticket to travel.

Revenue Protection Unit
Revenue Protection Building
Connolly Station
Amiens Street,
Dublin 1

Tel: (01) 8366 222 / 0818 366222
Email: rpu@irishrail.ie

A Leap Card is a reusable plastic smart card that can be used instead of paper tickets to pay-as-you-go for transport in Dublin. This card is used to store travel credit that is deducted as and when you use it when travelling on public transport.

Customers pay less with a Leap Card than when paying for single fares with cash on DART and Commuter rail services, Dublin Bus and Luas services.

Customers can register their Leap Card online, so if it's lost or stolen, no one else can use it.

For more information, go to leapcard.ie

The Leap Card system Caps a customers use of travel credit so that once you hit the cap value you can continue to travel as normal on the applicable transport operator, but no further travel credit will be taken from your card on their services.

Once you hit the Cap value for the day of the week, you should continue to use their Leap Card as normal when travelling. You should still Touch On and Touch Off as normal in order to have a valid card for inspection.

If you make lots of trips with your Leap Card on a daily or weekly (Mon to Sun) basis, a maximum Cap value will be applied to your travel credit spend.

For more information, go to Leap Card Capping.

The system adds up how much travel credit you have used on the applicable services you have travelled on for a given day or week and then it stops taking any more fares once the applicable Cap value is reached.

For more information, go to Leap Card Capping.

A Daily Cap runs from the first service of the day to the last service in that same day.

A Weekly Cap (Mon-Sun) runs from the first service on a Monday to the last service on a Sunday.

There are a number of benefits as follows;

• Leap Card will be protected against loss or theft (as long as you report it missing/stolen)
• You won't need to complete an online form for every online Top-Up
• You can view your card history and usage
• You can manage additional Leap Cards through your account (eg child's Leap Card)

If you have any queries or concerns then you can contact Leap customer care on 1850 824 824 and the team will investigate and liaise with you directly.

Check out our step by step guide to booking a Free Travel pass or Valid Ticket.

Looking for more information check out our FAQ Where do I find Information on the Free Travel Pass? Customers are advised their is limited availability for seat only reservations online.

 

Yes. You can reserve a seat where available by selecting a Reserve Seat Only

Ticket Vending Machines are in operation throughout our network. These machines are monitored and regularly maintained to ensure that they are operational.  Irish Rail is automatically notified if the TVMs are out of order.  In the unlikely event that the booking office is closed and all the Ticket Vending Machines are not working, you will be required to pay for your journey on the train or at your destination. Failure to pay the required fare will result in a Fixed Payment Notice being issued.

You must buy a ticket to cover your journey before travelling. Failure to buy a ticket will result in a Fixed Payment Notice being issued.

You are responsible for ensuring that you Touch On your Leap card at a validation point before travelling, otherwise you will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice.

You will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice as the ticket is not valid without the required DSP identification.

It is your responsibility to buy any additional ticket that you need to complete your journey before boarding the train otherwise you will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice.

Any person aged 19 years or older who purchases a child ticket will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice. Child tickets are only valid for persons aged 3-18 years. 

Any authorised officer of Irish Rail can issue a Fixed Payment Notice.

Yes. The authorised officer can confiscate the ticket as it may be used as evidence if the Fixed Payment is not paid and the case is prosecuted before the courts.

No. You have 21 days to pay the Fixed Payment Notice.

If you have been issued with a Fixed Payment Notice and you wish to appeal the decision, you can do so via email to RPU@irishrail.ie or in writing to the Revenue Protection Unit, Connolly Station, Amiens Street, Dublin 1 within 21 days from the date of issue of the Fixed Payment Notice.

No. If you board a train without a valid ticket, you will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice.

You will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice, as a discounted student ticket is only valid on production of a valid student I.D card.Accepted Student I.D can be found in the fares and tickets section. 

You will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice and the card will be confiscated.

A Fixed Payment Notice can be issued for failing or refusing to give your name or address to an authorised officer or giving a name or address which is false or misleading.  A Fixed Payment Notice can also be issued for trespass on a railway, unlawful use of an emergency cord or other system of communication between passengers and train drivers and failure to shut and fasten gates of level crossings or passage.  Breach of CIE bye-laws can also be prosecuted before the District Court. A full list of CIE bye-laws as set out in the Córas Iompair Éireann Bye-laws (Confirmation) Order, 1984 can be found on irishrail.ie.

Where a passenger has committed more than one offence, the Fixed Payment Notice will reflect an increased fine.

Yes. If an authorised officer reasonably suspects that a person is committing or has committed an offence under Section 129 of the Railway Safety Act 2005, he or she may require the person to give his or her name and address and, if the person fails or refuses to do so or gives a name that the authorised officer reasonably suspects is false or misleading, the authorised officer may arrest that person without warrant and deliver, as soon as practicable, the person into the custody of a member of the Garda Síochána to be dealt with according to law.

In the event that the Fixed Payment is not paid, you can be prosecuted and face a potential fine of up to €1,000 upon conviction as well as legal costs.

Yes, in denominations of €10 and €50. Vouchers can only be used against tickets bought in stations and not online.

To purchase or for more information contact your local station.

Yes, go to our student section for further information on our fantastic offers.

Children aged from five years old up to nineteen years are entitled to purchase a child ticket or fare.

Children under the age of five years are entitled to travel for free any Iarnród Éireann services when accompanied by a fare paying adult provided children do not occupy seats required for other fare paying passengers.

Those who wish to book a seat on reservable trains for a child under five years of age, may do so only by selecting the "Free Travel Pass or Valid Ticket' option on the journey planner. 

Leap card products can be used on the Cork – Cobh/Midleton routes.

Yes combined Rail and Bus Tickets are available on the Cork to Midleton route for more information please see our Fares Section.

Yes for more information please visit our Fares Sections.

Yes Leap epurse is now available in Cork for more information please visit our Fares Sections.

Yes, Annual cards are available on Leap cards in Cork.

Yes, see our Cork Smart Card section for further details on products available and applicable routes.

When you get close to a Daily or Weekly Cap you will only be charged the amount to bring you up to the Cap. After you have reached a Cap you will be charged €0.00 for subsequent travel that day or over the Week (Mon-Sun). Make sure you still 'touch-on' and 'touch-off' your Leap Card even when you have reached the daily or weekly cap.

Free Travel Pass holders wishing to book a ticket should select the option "Free Travel Pass or Valid Ticket" to book on to a train. 

Each year Iarnród Éireann carries over 38 million passengers on its Intercity, DART and Commuter trains. If even a small percentage of passengers failed to pay for their tickets, the revenue lost to Iarnród Éireann would be substantial.

Fare evasion is a criminal offence. You must purchase a valid ticket for the journey you are making before you get on any train. If you do not have a valid ticket or validated Leap/Smart card when asked to produce your ticket, you can be prosecuted in the District Court under the Railway Safety Act 2005. A passenger who travels without a valid ticket faces a fine of up to €1,000 on conviction in the District Court as well as legal costs.

If you cannot produce a valid ticket when requested to do so by an authorised officer, you may be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice. This means that if you wish to avoid a court appearance and the possibility of receiving a criminal conviction, you may pay a fine of €100 plus your unpaid fare. The Fixed Payment option is only available for a period of 21 days as set out in the Railway Safety Act. If the fine is not paid within that period, a summons will issue and legal costs will be incurred.

If you have been issued with a Fixed Payment Notice you can pay it online.

• Pay Online Now using a credit/ debit card
• By telephone (0)1 836 6222 08.30hrs-18.00hrs Monday to Friday (times exclude public holidays). Credit and debit card payments only. 
• By Post - Postal Orders and Bank Drafts will only be accepted if made payable to Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail and should be forwarded to the Revenue Protection Unit, Irish Rail, Connolly Station, Amiens Street, Dublin 1.

You are responsible for ensuring that you buy a ticket that is valid for your entire journey before travelling.  If you cannot produce a valid ticket when requested to do so by an authorised officer, you will be issued with a Fixed Payment Notice.

No. It is your responsibility to allow yourself reasonable time to buy a ticket before travelling. Ticket Vending Machines are provided at stations. Tickets can also be bought in advance of travel from ticket offices or on line at www.irishrail.ie 

At the start of the journey, you need to 'Touch-On' using your Leap Card at a gate or validation pole. At the end of a journey you must 'Touch-Off' to ensure the correct fare is applied.

Touch-On - Identifies the origin of the journey
Touch-Off - Identifies the destination of the journey

If you don't Touch-On you are committing fare evasion.
If you don’t Touch-Off you will pay more.

Tagging on at our gate;

• Hold the Leap Card against the Smart Card reader on the gate
• If you have credit on your Leap Card, the gate will open and allow you to enter and start your journey
• Your current ePurse balance will appear on the display on the gate

Gates and Poles may on occasion fail to identify the Touch-On / Touch-Off. It is up to the customer to ensure the card has been read successfully. The two main reasons for card failure are:

1. Incorrect Positioning of Smart Card
If the Leap Card is not placed against the reader/'target' on the pole or gate, it will not be read. Ensure that the card is held steadily against the Card reading 'target' for at least a second.
Do not wave the card over the Smart Card reading target. Do not put the Smart Card into the horizontal paper ticket slot on a gate. 

2. Smart Card Interference
Remove the Leap Card from your wallet or bag before using it. Other Smart Cards you may have in your wallet or bag can cause interference with this card, which will make it inoperable.

At a ticket Machine in the station

Put your card in the 'pocket' and then follow the instructions on the ticket machine screen.

Online

Log on to www.leapcard.ie to view your account history and you will be able to view your card balance.

For information on schoolchild Leap Cards go to our ticket information section

No, rail tickets are VAT exempt. If you require proof of purchase, we recommend that you present your ticket and booking confirmation email, (where applicable). 

Customers are advised of the following when travelling on Iarnrod Éireann Irish Rail  DART, Commuter Rail and Intercity services.

Travelling by Intercity Rail on Iarnrod Éireann Irish Rail
Present your Public Services Card/Free Travel Card at a ticket desk where you will be issued with a ticket for travel. Please use this ticket to enter through the gates.
 
Travelling in the Short Hop Zone on Iarnrod Eireann Irish Rail DART and Commuter services (see map)
Touch your card on a Smartcard gate/machine or pole when entering and exiting the stations or platforms. You must touch your card on the smartcard gate/machine or pole at both sides of your journey.
 
Travelling to Northern Ireland
Free Travel Pass holder/s should present their Free Pass/PSC Card at the Ticket Office to get a ticket for travel

Special Services
Public Service Cards/Free Travel Passes are not valid on Special Services

Terms and Conditions of Travel - 
Please Note - You can only avail of Free Travel if you have a valid Public Services Card or a valid Free Travel Pass with you.

Failure to present your Card/Pass on request to a ticket inspector or driver, or to comply with instructions, may result in you being asked to pay a fare for the trip or you may be issued with a fixed penalty notice.
 

An allocation of bookings on all InterCity services can be reserved online without a fee for 'Free Travel Pass or valid ticket holders'. When this allocation is fully booked, all remaining seats can be reserved by 'Free Travel Pass or valid ticket holders' for €2.50 per journey.