Free public transport for Pope’s park Mass

PEOPLE going to see Pope Francis in the Phoenix Park will be able to travel for free in Dublin, the National Transport Authority said yesterday.

The NTA announced the decision during a joint press conference with An Garda Síochána, to detail the traffic and travel arrangements for the event.

The NTA said it will cover the cost of the free public transport that day if there is a loss of revenue, but could not say how much it would cost. The director of public transport services for the NTA, Tim Gaston, said that the decision was made on the safety grounds.

‘The NTA has made a decision and we are announcing it today that for those people travelling to and from the Phoenix Park, there will be no charge on public transport,’ he said. ‘Their entry ticket will be their ticket for travelling on the train, the tram or the bus. They must be prepared to show that to the driver or to an inspector.’

An NTA spokesman said it hasn’t come to a final figure as to how much this will cost, but that it should become clearer in the coming weeks. He added that the figure will be published after the event.

The free travel does not encompass trips from outside Dublin into the city, so the NTA is advising anyone travelling into the capital that Set for Irish visit: Pope Francis day to pre-book their tickets.

Gardaí have warned there will be an exclusion zone for private cars on the day of the Pope’s Mass in the Phoenix Park, stretching from the city centre out to the M50.

Detailing the traffic plan, Superintendent Tom Murphy said there will be a controlled zone around the park, which will encompass the area east of the M50, to west of O’Connell Bridge, and from the south of the N2 and north of the Grand Canal. The zone will be in place from 6am to 11pm on the day – August 26 – with diversions and road closures.

Supt Murphy, of the DMR Regional Roads Policing Unit, said the safety of pedestrians is prioritised, and that visitors should leave their cars at home as there will be no parking facilities.

‘The zone is to facilitate the safe movement of pedestrians and allow for the free-flow of public transport and private coaches within those zones to allow people to get to the Phoenix Park,’ he said.

‘Entry ticket will get you free travel’