Iarnród Éireann has warned customers intending to travel by rail to the Bloom Festival and elsewhere over the June bank holiday weekend to book Intercity travel as soon as possible.
The bank holiday weekend will see an unprecedented number of major events the length and breadth of the country, which is expected to result in the busiest weekend on rail and all transport services since before the pandemic.
Over 200,000 customers are expected to travel on Intercity rail services alone.
READ MORE: How to get through Dublin Airport in record time without having to queue for hours
A number of trains on the Cork and Kerry to Dublin routes have already sold out for Thursday, June 2 and Saturday, June 4, as well as trains to and from GAA fixtures across the weekend.
As a result, pre-booking of Intercity travel is essential across the weekend, as many more trains are expected to sell out.
Irish Rail will operate additional services where possible and maximise capacity to meet the expected demand.
All Intercity services can be booked in advance at www.irishrail.ie.
DART, Dublin Commuter and Cork Commuter services are also expected to see high demand.
Events taking place include:
- Bloom, Phoenix Park (Thursday to Monday)
- Women’s Mini-Marathon
- Cork City Marathon
- Leinster Hurling Final, Croke Park
- Munster Hurling Final, Semple Stadium
- GAA Football Championship fixtures
- Forbidden Fruit Festival, Kilmainham
- Rise Live Festival, Galway
- The Cat Laughs Festival, Kilkenny
- Live from the Marquee, Cork
- St Anne’s Park Concerts, Dublin
- Wildroots Festival, Sligo
- Live @ The Docklands, Limerick
- Cobh cruise ship visits
A spokesperson for Irish Rail said: “The June weekend really feels like the weekend when the whole country is celebrating a return to better times, with so many sports, cultural and music events taking place.
“We want everyone who travels with us on Intercity services to do so in comfort, so we urge all intending to travel to book immediately: these trains will sell out, and with rail fares now 20% lower following public transport fare cuts in recent weeks, customers will be able to avoid both congestion and higher fuel costs by booking today.”
Additional capacity and services are operating where possible for special events, but all Intercity trains must be pre-booked across the weekend.
Intercity tickets will not be available for purchase at stations.
Customers should note the following revisions:
- Sunday, June 5: minor revisions to Intercity schedules
- Bank Holiday Monday, June 6: revisions on all routes
Check times before travelling at www.irishrail.ie or the Iarnród Éireann app.
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
