Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I understand the concern. My understanding of the reason for that divergence is because they are not necessarily setting the zones by rail track mileage, but rather by distance as the crow flies, so to speak. This is something for which NTA has core responsibility. The organisation went to public consultation last year and the realignment of both rail and other public transport fares has been agreed at this stage. I can understand the case made for the commuters in Greystones.

The only ameliorating thing I can say is that if they are under 26, it is half that, with lower fares for youth with the youth travel card. For general passengers, it is 20% lower than it would otherwise have been. I can understand the concern the Chair has in that regard but the only rational answer I have is that it was based on distance. At some point, a limit or a parameter had to be set and there would always be one location in or outside the two zones that are now in place. The farther zone goes out to 52 km and the inner one goes to 23 km. By dint of that, Greystones finds itself with that fare increase.