Train passengers will see major changes from next week.
A new Dublin commuter zone will kick in, allowing people travelling from more areas to pay by leap card.
From Monday, anyone getting the train within a 50 kilometre radius of Dublin will fall under the leap card area.
It’s part of a new extended Dublin commuter zone that see places like Drogheda in Louth to the north, Kildare to the west and as far down as Rathdrum in Wicklow, falling under the new fare system.
The changes will also see the intercity luas add on – so for passengers who arrive into Heuston and then get the tram – will reduce to zero
The Dublin commuter zone breaks the city and commuter areas as far as Kildare Town, Rathdrum and Navan into four based on proximity to the city centre, mirroring a similar zonal system in place in London.
Dublin city zone 1 covers the central city and its suburbs, extending past Dublin Airport to Rush and Donabate on the north side and goes as far south as Shankill and Bray in Co Wicklow.
Irish Rail said fares will reduce in the areas now part of zones 3 and 4, while there will be a mixture of increases and reductions in zone 2. Routes running between central Dublin and Balbriggan, Skerries, Kilcock, Sallins and Naas, as well as between Dublin and Greystones and Kilcoole, will see a rise in fare prices.
There will be a fare reduction between Dublin and Gormanstown, and to and from Drogheda, Laytown, Enfield, Newbridge, Kildare, Wicklow and Rathdrum.
Changes will apply across adult, young adult, student and child fares.
The daily and weekly leap card fare cap will apply to the Dublin city zone only. Epurse leap cards will be valid across a wider area.
Several changes are also being introduced on Monday that affect the intercity Luas.
Some rail ticket types are to be discontinued including adult, student and child weekly and monthly tickets, and off-peak fares from Drogheda, Laytown, Gormanston, Newbridge and Kildare.
