A STORMONT MLA has slammed the ticketing system for Republic-bound passengers in Belfast’s new train station Grand Central, calling it “partitionist” and “nuts”.

Currently, none of the 12 ticketing machines in the new station, which cost over £350 million to build, sell tickets for the Dublin train, or trains to any stations across the border. 

In the case of the Dublin train, which is jointly operated by Translink and Irish Rail, this has resulted in long queues forming at the ticket desk, which is usually operated by one to two people.

The desk is located at the opposite end of the new station to the platforms.  Once people get to the platforms, their tickets do not scan at the gates, meaning that they have to be scanned individually by an employee.

Customers have complained that this process has led to them missing the train even when they arrive in good time.  Justin McNulty, an SDLP MLA from South Armagh, told The Journal that in his view this system is “partitionist” and “two-tier approach to cross-border rail services”.

“Lots of people have contacted me because they’ve missed their trains, and their buses – it applies to bus tickets too – as a result of this baffling system,” he added.  McNulty said that it isn’t just a ticketing issue, but also a “fairness” issue.

“We need to see simplified ticketing processes and unified fare structures across the island,”  he added.  The Minister for Infrastructure in the Stormont Executive, Liz Kimmins, has explained that as main bus and rail cross border services operate under a capacity management system the purchase of adhoc tickets from machines “is not possible”.

“Regarding those who have purchased their ticket from Iarnród Éireann and are travelling through from Grand Central Station, these tickets require visual inspection at the gate line due to the variety of Iarnród Éireann ticket types which cannot be validated electronically,” she said. 

Another issue that is causing those who regularly travel up and down the country ire is that a return from Belfast to Dublin is more expensive than a return from Dublin to Belfast.  Kimmins said that this is because Translink and Irish Rail are subsidised in different ways.

“In April 2022 the Irish Government reduced fares on all types of transport by 20%. My Department has been operating in a difficult financial environment for a number of years due to underfunding and austerity by the British Government.

“Consequently, a similar discount is not available for Enterprise tickets for journeys originating in the North,” she explained. 

McNulty told The Journal that he believes the price disparity is causing a fairness issue. 

McNulty added that in his view there needs to be cross-border engagement to address the issue. 

“If we can put men and women on the moon, then we can align the ticketing services for rail and bus connections north and south of the border.

“It’s putting workers and commuters up against the clock, and creating a bad experience for tourists who come here to experience the whole island,” he said. 

The Department of Transport in the Republic said it has not engaged with its counterpart in the north in relation to this issue.

The Journal has asked the Department for Infrastructure in the North for comment, as well as Irish Rail and Translink.