It's cheaper to leave Athlone than to visit

Athlone's Chamber of Commerce has appealed to Irish Rail to change train fares which make it cheaper for shoppers and tourists to leave Athlone and go to Dublin than to travel from the capital to Athlone. An analysis of train fares carried out by the Westmeath Independent found that, at most times of the week, the fare from Dublin to Athlone is significantly higher than the cost of taking the reverse journey. At certain times, day return fares from Dublin to the midlands can cost up to €25.50 more than the equivalent fare from Athlone. This is seen as a setback for local efforts to entice people to come and shop or enjoy a weekend getaway in Athlone. Commenting on the current fares, a spokesperson for Irish Rail admitted that the fare system was designed to steer business towards Dublin. "We are trying to attract business into the city," stated the spokesperson yesterday (Tuesday). "We've tried and tested it and we found that there is business coming into the city but there isn't much business coming out of Dublin to that area." Our analysis of the current fares discovered an array of discrepancies on the Dublin-Athlone line, depending on the direction in which the passenger is travelling. At the station in Athlone a day return fare to Dublin of €12, Monday-Friday, and €15 on Saturdays and Sundays is currently offered after 9.30am. This fare (which was slightly lower before a recent increase) is described as a promotional fare but has, in practice, become the standard fare when travelling by train from Athlone to Dublin as it has now been in place on a continuous basis for over a year. In contrast, a day return from Dublin to Athlone at any time of day costs €22 on five days of the week and €37.50 on Fridays and Sundays. Therefore, a passenger who buys a day return ticket and leaves on the 9.30am train from Dublin to Athlone this Friday pays over €25 more than a person who buys a day return ticket from Athlone to the capital and leaves on the 10.02am train the same day. The most costly day return fare to Dublin from the station in Athlone involves departing before 9.30am on Fridays and Sundays. This fare - of €31.50 - is still €6 less than the equivalent fare when travelling from Heuston station to Athlone at similar times on Fridays and Sundays. There can also be discrepancies in some of the special online fares offered by Irish Rail. For example, booking a single journey online from Athlone to Dublin before 9.30am this coming Friday costs €15, but booking a single ticket from Dublin to Athlone at a similar time on Friday costs €25 online. Athlone Chamber of Commerce stated that it, along with other local organisations, hotels and shopping centres has been working to promote Athlone and bring visitors to the town. "We are being encouraged by government to think green, with added taxes on fuel, to not use car transport all the time and to use public transport for some of our journeys," said Chamber CEO Siobhan Bigley. "However, it appears that to travel from Dublin to anywhere in the country is more expensive than it is to travel from the rest of the country to Dublin." Ms Bigley said that competitive deals were offered by bus companies such as Bus Eireann and Citylink, but she appealed to Irish Rail to change its fare structure. "There is potential business in this for Iarnroid Eireann if they engage locally with the businesses and with Athlone Chamber - we could offer shopping and weekend break packages for people to travel to the town at much more reasonable rates," she commented. "We encourage and appeal to Iarnroid Eireann to work with the chamber and other local organisations and by working together we could change this unsustainable pricing regime and bring more visitors to the town and more customers to Iarnroid Eireann."