Northern Ireland Railways - iLink

[D6700]

Does anyone know if the iLink smartcard ticket is valid on the Enterprise services as far as Newry?

The terms and conditions say they are not valid on "cross border" services, but Newry appears not to be served by anything else, except in the morning and evening peaks.

 

[phil8715]

I can't see any reason why you couldn't use the I-link to Newry on the Enterprise. I know you can't go into the Republic with it with it being just an Northern Ireland Translink ticket.

 

[wintonian]

I think if you look at the wording; cross border services, I doubt it, I remember Newry being the limit of the map and as such it should be obvious without the extra wording that it is not valid to Eire and thus the only reason I can see for the wording is to rule out the Enterprise and the coach the Dublin.

That was my thinking when I was looking at earlier in the year.

 

[4SRKT]

The I-Link card is definitely valid to Newry. It is also valid on Ulsterbus cross-border services within Northern Ireland.

Apart from two DMUs in each peak, the Enterprise is the only service to Newry, and if the I-Link weren't valid, one of the bigger towns in NI would have most of its services disqualified because they cross the border. I suspect the wording is required because Dundalk is defined as the border station by FIP, and historically the Northern Ireland Rail Runabout ticket was valid to Dundalk. Don't forget that there was no station at Newry until about 1984 or so.

Enjoy your loco-haulage!

 

[wintonian]

Ah that’s rather useful, though I do wonder if the wording could be made clearer.

If I am right a Newry to Dublin ticket is quite a bit cheaper than the rather pricey Belfast - Dublin one, so possible to make a bit of a saving there, perhaps?

 

[4SRKT]

Ah that’s rather useful, though I do wonder if the wording could be made clearer.

If I am right a Newry to Dublin ticket is quite a bit cheaper than the rather pricey Belfast - Dublin one, so possible to make a bit of a saving there, perhaps?

Yes, but if you book an NIR internet advance fare it's the same price from Newry as from Belfast, and this can be as little as £8.99 if you avoid the busiest trains. In fact if you were to use an advance ticket you'd have to get a Belfast > Dublin one because NIR send out a voucher that can only be redeemed at the origin station, so you'd have to get off at Newry to do this if you had a Newry > Dublin one.

 

[D6975]

The IE rover ticket blurb used to have the same wording, but it was valid on Enterprise services Dublin-Drogheda-Dundalk - I checked when I bought the ticket. (At the time it was pretty obvious that it would be because the last cross-border used to double up as a Dundalk stopper)

 

[D6700]

Many thanks for the replies - all being well, I'll give it a bash tomorrow.