Page 17 - COBH EDITION 2nd NOVEMBER DIGITAL VERSION

to go to Dublin for surgery and I figured the journey back down on the train, after the opera-
tion, would be more comfortable than sitting in a car for three hours, so I decided to give it a
whirl.

I booked online and got my single ticket for €30. I didn’t book a return because I wasn’t sure
of the day or time I would be travelling back to Cork. The train was modern and comfortable,
and the journey was pleasant.

I was released from hospital a few days later and I headed to Heuston Station. I wasn’t in a
position to book my return ticket online, so I looked for the ticket office but of course, that’s
gone the way of the phone book and now there’s just a machine.
The machine charged me €62 for a single ticket to Cork. I was feeling a bit sore and sorry for
myself and walked gingerly to the carriage to get a seat. I was surprised to find that it re-
sembled something I used back in the 80’s. It looked old and didn’t seem to be the cleanest.
I sat next to a young guy from Canada who was travelling around Ireland on a holiday and
once we got going, he was looking out the window admiring the scenery. He told me he was
really enjoying the countryside and I had to apologise for the fact that he could see so little of
it because the windows were so dirty. They were manky.
There was no dining car either, just a trolley service and it reminded me of the old days. My
wife was travelling with me, so we paid €120 for the privilege of suffering this ordeal. In hind-
sight, the car would have been a more comfortable option but how was I to know.
Iarnrod Eireann are planning to ban alcohol on some of their routes because of the anti-social
behaviour by some passengers, but maybe they’re only trying to numb the pain of the prices
and the state of the carriages.