Happy rail times

Have taken a few trips with Irish Rail down the country recently I must confess that I'm very impressed with the whole affair. The €10 fares are an absolute steal when compared with the regular (over-priced) fares, but it seems to me that not many people are in fact taking advantage of the cheap fares available.... This observation is based on the fact that online booking gives you a seat allocation which is marked by a name tag on board the train. And I didn't see THAT many of those name tags to suggest people are getting the knockdown fares.

(I've been scolded by my friends for asking a little old lady to move out of my pre-booked seat, but I did in fact want my forward facing window seat. So did she evidently...)

The newer trains are so comfortable, with good snack and bathroom facilities. Certainly when cheap fares are on offer, I don't think many people would choose sitting in the car on a motorway for hours if they could sit, relax and enjoy the passing countryside on the train. The trains I have taken left exactly on time, and dare I say even arrived a few minutes early one time.

It seems Iarnrod Eireann are getting the hang of it. If we could extend these cheaper fares to most daily services (ie also peak travel) it would seem more plausible that we could encourage people on to public transport a bit more. After all, the Luas runs a highly efficient profit making system so why can't we do it for all other systems?