An extra 250k rail trips planned for Pope’s visit

Iarnród Éireann ramps up train service on main routes for Mass

Intercity rail tickets will not be for sale on the day

UP to a quarter of a million extra train journeys are planned for the biggest Irish event in 40 years as people travel to see the Pope say Mass in Dublin later this month.

Rail operator Iarnród Éireann has laid on extra services on all main routes to the capital and advance booking is mandatory.

The Papal Mass will be celebrated in Dublin’s Phoenix Park on Sunday, August 26, and half a million tickets are to be made available.

Organisers believe it will be the largest single event the country has hosted since Pope John Paul II visited in 1979.

Extra trains will operate from Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Rosslare and Waterford to and from Dublin. High-frequency commuter services will ply routes near Dublin.

The rail company said intercity train tickets will not be available for sale on the day and there will be no access for anyone who does not have a ticket or reservation.

The Pope will visit Ireland for two days to coincide with the World Meeting of Families.

Held every three years, the international event brings together families from across the world to celebrate the importance of the family.

Customers can book travel at www.irishrail.ie or 01-8366222 and are advised to do so as soon as possible. Holders of tickets to the Papal Mass can travel free of charge from some commuter destinations. An Iarnród Éireann spokesman said: ‘We are looking forward to playing a major role in bringing customers to and from the World Meeting of Families events.’