Pets On-board Trains

• Small dogs can be brought on to trains free of charge provided they travel on the owners lap.
• The dog must be kept on a lead at all times unless it is in a basket or in an appropriate container. Dogs on the restricted breeds list must be muzzled while travelling onboard our services.
• Small cats can be carried free of charge provided they travel in a secure carrier on the customer's lap
• Animals are not allowed in restaurant cars. Guide dogs or Assistance dogs are the only exception.
• If a customer objects to the presence of a dog in the carriage, the owner will be asked to move to another part of the train.

Dogs On-board Trains

Guide dogs and Assistance dogs can travel on all of our services. An assistance dog should wear their official coat, medallion, and lead. A Guide dog should wear their official coat and harness. This is so staff can identify them. There is a limit of one Guide dog or Assistance dog per passenger on the train.

Companion dogs, other than the ones described above, must be in a Guards Van (non-passenger area) on our Intercity services. These are on Dublin/Cork and Dublin/Belfast trains only. Charges will apply for this. Dogs carried in a Guard's Van must be:

• secured with a collar and chain and properly muzzled.
• The muzzle must make it impossible for the dog to bite any person or animal. It should not stop the dog from breathing freely or drinking water. The dog can also be contained in a wooden case, cage, basket or hamper as long as it is impossible for the dog to bite any person or animal.
• The container must be large enough for the dog to stand up and lie down with ease. It must be properly ventilated.
• All dogs in the Guards Van (non-passenger area) must be labelled with the name, address and destination of the owner.

If there is no guard's van (non-passenger area) on a service, dogs can not be brought on that train. This does not apply to Guide Dogs, Assistance dogs and small/lap dogs. The guard's van is only on Dublin/Cork and Dublin/Belfast trains.

Our staff may refuse to carry any animal that is too large, misbehaving, or disrupting other passengers. On train staff are authorised to have such animals removed from the train.