I'm going to Dublin from Kenmare on a weekday, and the quickest, easiest route appears to be a bus- train combo. Here's my question- the bus from Kenmare arrives at 9:15, and the train departs at 9:37. The bus and train stations according to my map are only about a 2 minute walk apart. Assuming I buy my train ticket ahead, is this connection feasible? Will I have to stop at a machine to print out a train ticket or does one print the actual train ticket when purchasing?
Thank you to anyone with info about this.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Although I know that buying Irish train tickets online is cheaper than in stations, the tips at http://www.irishrail.ie/fares-and-tickets/guide-to-buying-online are raising a couple of red flags.
- One is the mention of the 3D Secure program, which means that they only accept Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode programs, where you have an extra password for your card.
- Next, it says "be sure to write down your 'Booking Number' and keep it safe in order to collect your tickets."
On the plus side, the shopping cart says that a PayPal payment option is "coming soon."
Their info about fines makes it clear that saying you "didn't have time" at the station is no excuse for not having a valid ticket onboard the train.
Additional:
Our guidebook co-author has a Verified by Visa type of credit card, so he had no trouble buying a ticket with that this week. This is the text from his booking confirmation email: "Tickets can be collected from ticket vending machines or at the booking office. If neither are available, please board the train with this email and collect your ticket at the destination station." But note that's saying "if neither are available," not, "if you run out of time." I would still be pretty confident of the plan working.
It also looks like the online ticket can be used on a later train with a 10 euro fee; see http://www.irishrail.ie/legal/terms-of-use.
Posted by
OP
Fredericksburg, TX, USA
74 posts
Thank you, those links were very helpful.