CIE

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Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE) is the state railway company of Ireland and the parent company of Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann). The subsidiary operates the majority of rail services in the Republic of Ireland, including the main routes between Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick, as well as regional connections in the Dublin and Cork areas.

On its website, Irish Rail provides an overview map of the routes.

Summary

  • FIP is accepted on all Irish Rail train services.
  • First Class may not be used with FIP.
  • FIP 50 Tickets are now difficult to book and often more expensive than publicly available “Low Fare Tickets”, which must however be booked in advance.

Validity of FIP Tickets

FIP Coupon: ✅FIP 50 Tickets: ✅

Train Categories and Reservations

InterCity
FIP accepted Reservation possible Important information

InterCity trains connect the major cities of Ireland, including Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick. FIP is accepted on all InterCity services. The Enterprise Service between Dublin and Belfast is also operated by InterCity trains. More information about the Enterprise can be found on the Ireland page.

Important Information

First Class between Dublin and Cork may not be used with FIP. More information about class categories can be found below.

Reservation

Reservations are optional, but are issued free of charge for many services and are therefore recommended in 2nd class.

Commuter Trains / Local rail services
FIP accepted No reservation possible

Commuter Trains are regional trains that primarily operate in the Dublin and Cork areas. FIP is accepted on these services.

Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART)
FIP accepted No reservation possible

DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) is a suburban rail network connecting Dublin’s suburbs with the city centre. FIP is accepted on DART services.1

Bus Éireann
FIP not accepted No reservation possible

FIP is not valid on Bus Éireann bus services.

Dublin Bus
FIP not accepted No reservation possible

FIP is not valid on Dublin Bus bus services.

Class Categories

  • Second Class: Standard class, usable with FIP 50 Tickets and FIP Coupons of both first and second class.

  • Premier Class: Available on the Dublin – Tralee route and the Dublin – Cork connection. It can be used with 1st class FIP Coupons, and with a surcharge also with 2nd class FIP Coupons. Important: During peak hours, “First Class” is used instead of Premier Class, which cannot be used with FIP.

  • First Class: Only available between Dublin and Cork during peak hours, also known as City Gold. First Class offers an onboard service and electronically adjustable seats. It cannot be used with FIP.1 As of March 2026, all services between Dublin and Cork except the following are operated with First Class2:

    • Dublin – Cork Premier Class services: 10:00 (Monday – Saturday), 12:00 (Monday – Friday) and 14:00 (Monday – Friday)
    • Cork – Dublin Premier Class services: 13:25 (Monday – Saturday), 14:25 (Sunday only), 15:25 (Monday – Friday) and 17:25 (Monday – Thursday and Saturday)

    An up-to-date list can be found here.

  • Enterprise Plus: First class on the Dublin – Belfast connection. Can be used with 1st class FIP Coupons, and with a surcharge also with 2nd class FIP Coupons.

Ticket and Reservation Purchase

Online

FIP 50 Tickets cannot be booked online.

Irish Rail Website
Reservation Costs
1st Class: -
2nd Class: 0 € / 2.50 €

Reservations

Reservations for 2nd class can be purchased online. To do so, the passenger option must first be selected:

Open passenger options
Select Free Travel Pass
Then the “Adults” selection can be deselected and the “Free Travel Pass” option selected.

Reservations for 2nd class are issued free of charge. Only on some heavily used services are reservation fees of 2.50 € charged.

The prices displayed for Premier Class include the price difference between 1st and 2nd class, so these reservations can be booked to travel in Premier Class with a 2nd class FIP Card.

Reservations for 1st class FIP Coupons cannot be booked online via Irish Rail.

Personal Tip

In Ireland, the names of passengers are generally displayed on the reservation indicators in the trains. If this is not desired, the booking can indicate that the ticket number should be displayed instead.

To Booking Website

On-Site

Irish Rail Ticket Office

Irish Rail ticket offices are available at the larger InterCity stations. To check whether a station has a ticket office, the relevant station can be selected in the station finder. The opening hours are listed in the “General information” and “Opening Hours” sections if a ticket office is available. The ticket offices are referred to as “Station Booking Offices” on the website.

FIP 50 Tickets

FIP 50 Tickets can be purchased at the “Station Booking Offices” of Irish Rail.

Additional Information

On the Train

FIP 50 Tickets must be purchased before boarding. Upgrades from 2nd class to Premier Class can be purchased on the train if no ticket counter is available at the station.1

Discounts

Children up to 5 years of age travel free of charge. Young people up to 16 years of age receive a 50% discount on the adult fare. Persons aged 16 and over pay the full FIP adult fare.1

Special Tariff Conditions

Break of Journey

Break of journey is permitted with FIP tickets, but must be documented with a note at the station where the journey was interrupted.

Sources

  1. Rail Delivery Group ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. Irish Rail First Class Travel ↩︎