Major changes to Irish Rail services to come into affect for customers today

Irish Rail has officially introduced its new rail fare pricing structure as of Monday which will see come commuters pay less for their journey while others may pay more. 

This new update to the pricing structure is part of Irish Rail's extension of the travel zones around the greater Dublin area which will see the new Dublin Commuter Area replace the old Short Hop Zone.

Rail fare adjustments from Monday 28th April
- Extended Dublin Commuter Zone for @LeapCard
- Maximum touch-on fare increasing in Dublin & Cork: remember to touch off
- Some ticket types ending
- Some fares reducing, some increasing, full info https://t.co/QiCbpMKXAf @TFIupdates pic.twitter.com/sKdgDyCCrA

— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) April 24, 2025

The previous Short Hop Zone did not stretch beyond Balbriggan, Kilcock, Sallins & Naas and Kilcoole. Now, the new commuter zone has been extended to a 50km ring around Dublin. Towns such as Drogheda, Enfield, Kildare Town and Rathdrum will now be included. 

Your arrival and departure station will determine whether or not you will see price increases or decreases with these updates. People within the new zone will see significant decreases in costs. 

Some ticket types have also ended such as the Adult, Student and Child Weekly and Monthly tickets within the Dublin Commuter Zone.

As part of these changes, Leap cards are now valid over a greater area and a touch-on maximum fare will increase. It is worth noting, however, that for Leap card users in Cork, costs will not change.

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