Train passengers within 50km of Dublin will be able to use Leap Cards from next week
Until now, Dublin passengers with short train journeys have been able to pay using their Leap Card but those from towns further away in the commuter belt have needed to purchase a ticket.
Transport for Ireland has announced that the Leap Card area is being extended to a 50km radius starting next Monday, 28 April.
The Leap area is divided into four zones, which will have different fares applied.
Transport For Ireland
Transport For Ireland
In Zone 1, where train passengers were already eligible to pay with a Leap Card, the 90-minute fare will remain unchanged (€2 for Adult, €1 for Young Adult/Student and €0.65 for Child Leap Cards).
Zone 2 will cover areas including Gormanston, Skerries, Kilcock, Sallins & Naas, Greystones and Kilcoole. The fare will cost €3.90 for an Adult, €1.95 for Young Adult/Student and €1.95 for Child Leap Cards.
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Drogheda, Enfield, Newbridge and Wicklow Town will be included in Zone 3 and be charged €6 for an Adult, €3 for Young Adult/Student and €3 for Child Leap Cards.
Zone 4 will be furthest from the city centre, covering areas like Kildare Town and Rathdrum at a cost of €7.50 for an Adult, €3.75 for Young Adult/Student and €3.75 for Child Leap Cards.
Irish Rail Communications Manager Barry Kenny has explained that the new fares largely won't be reducing costs in Zone 2 but that there will be decreases for those living further out in Zones 3 and 4.
Currently, train travel between Dublin Connolly and Newbridge, for example, costs €9.85, while getting from Dublin Heuston to Kildare Town costs €9.75.
'We're encouraging all customers who use the Leap Card to make sure to touch on and touch off for your journey, so that you aren't charged a higher fare than you're due,' Kenny said, speaking on RTÉ Radio One this morning.
'He said that cash fares are also available for the journeys but that 'Leap will always be the cheaper option'.
Changes to monthly and annual tickets will be applied 'on people's next renewal of those'.
The weekly cap for travel in all four zones for an Adult Leap Card is €67.20
Passengers will be able to buy zonal train tickets using the Leap Top-Up App from 28 April.
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