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Travelling around Ireland need not cost the world By
Niamh Hennessy
FOR many people in Britain the task of travelling around Ireland when
they visit can be a major issue.
The chance for a short-break in Cork, Galway or Dublin can be tempting
but when it comes to spreading out from these major cities difficulties
tend to arise.
Do you hire a car, take the bus or train or do you book a flight?
Well worry no more as a new study has been published which shows the quickest
way to some of Ireland’s most popular destinations.
Depending on where travellers are going, they could save time and money
by letting the train take the strain instead of the plane or by abandoning
the bus in favour of their car.
An examination of the cost of making seven different trips to popular
destinations by plane, train, coach and car found the plane was not always
the quickest mode of travel but was often the most expensive while rock-bottom
fares on the bus were often outweighed by the punishingly long journey
times.
Going by car was never the cheapest or slowest option, but offered modest
savings to drivers prepared to sit behind the wheel and concentrate non-stop
for hours.
For example, a journey from Dublin to Galway city takes just 45 minutes
on an Aer Arann flight starting at £19 one-way, compared to £20
on the train.
The journey on train takes up to two hours 40 minutes, meaning people
face a trip lasting almost four-times longer by rail.
The coach takes five-times longer than the plane but with tickets at £8.50,
passengers will save half on the air fare.
Going by car takes as long as the train yet the savings are modest, at
£6.80 cheaper than Irish Rail or £3.40 off the lowest air
fare.
Similarly, holidaymakers heading for Galway from Cork would
do well to look at their travel plans as each competing form of transport
has an advantage over the other.
The most-expensive is plane starting at £54 as passengers have
to fly to Dublin first before boarding a Galway-bound flight.
But their total journey time can be as little as two hours 45 minutes
if they manage a quick turnaround in Dublin or as long as six hours and
15 minutes if they do not.
The train can be the slowest with a maximum journey time of six hours
21 minutes as passengers have to change at Dublin and wait for connecting
trains.
But the journey costs £34.50 and can take as little as four hours
35 minutes if passengers set out at a time to give them the shortest waiting
times between connecting trains.
Coach is cheapest at £11.60 for a one-way ticket on a direct journey
lasting a maximum four hours 20 minutes — quicker and cheaper than
the train.
But going by car is the best option, taking two hours 29 minutes at a
cost of £12.85 in petrol for an average saloon car, according to
figures produced by The AA.
But those coming from abroad will also have to fork out the cost of car
hire.
The problems faced by most people in terms of cost and length of journey
of going by road or rail are sharply demonstrated by a journey from one
end of the island to the other.
The trip from Cork to Belfast takes seven hours and 30 minutes on a coach
while the fastest train journey is six hours and 25 minutes.
The cost one-way on the train is £52.70 against £21 on Bus
Éireann and £26.70 for a car journey, excluding car hire,
lasting four hours 29 minutes.
Passengers going by plane can justly feel superior and more relaxed
as their journey lasts 70 minutes though the fare costs £65.30 one-way.
Flyers pay £44 more than the coach the cheapest form of transport
but they get to Belfast six-times quicker than bus or rail and less than
a quarter of the time it would take if you chose to drive.
n Plane fares quoted are for a one-way journey, booked two weeks in advance. |
