COMMUTERS WILL SEE an increase in the amount of money they’re spending on train travel from today, as Irish Rail fares have increased.

From today, new cash fares across all Irish Rail services, and Leapcard fares in the Dublin area ‘short hop zone’ have kicked in.

This follows a determination on fares issued by the National Transport Authority in October.

It’s not just fares that will increase, as under the determination the zoning of some station pairs within the short hop zone have also been changed.

According to Irish Rail, the changes “generally apply to station pairings with low patronage” but commuters should confirm which zones apply to them when purchasing tickets.

For the full details on the percentage increases on the cash fares, see the National Transport Authority’s decision on Irish Rail’s request.

The NTA said that the operating environment for CIÉ companies, including Irish Rail, has been “challenging” over the last number of years, and that they face more cuts in 2014.

“The CIÉ companies need to stabilise their financial situation reasonably quickly so that service cuts are minimised and that the companies are returned to a stable financial footing,” it said.

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