Enterprise reservation and upgrade in Northern Ireland

[ricohallo]

Hello everyone,

I'll be traveling on the Enterprise from Belfast to Dublin in a few days and I have a couple of questions which I hope somebody will be able to answer for me:

Firstly is it possible to buy an upgrade to Enterprise Plus class at a ticket window in NI if you already have a valid standard class ticket? (I have FIP staff travel boxes for NIR and CIE)
If so is it priced similar to the upgrades sold online by IÉ (€16)?
Also is it possible to reserve a seat at a ticket window in NI either standard class or plus class?
And lastly according to the IÉ website an Enterprise Plus upgrade can be purchase on board at €15 from Dublin. Is it also possible to purchase an upgrade onboard when traveling from Belfast?

Unfortunately the information Translink provide on their website is pretty scarce and I didn't manage to find anything about it elsewhere either.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Elwyn]

I live in NI and, as a pensioner, get free 2nd class travel on the trains including the Enterprise. The 1st upgrade for us is on a “space available” basis, and costs around £13. So you obtain a second class ticket and then go to the first class carriages. There are 2, at the Dublin end of the train in Belfast. The train manager (or whatever he/she is) will be standing at the entrance to the first carriage and will advise if there is sufficient space. If there is, he/she will either sell you the upgrade there and then on the platform or sometimes it’s done on the train. They take cards. First class does sell out a lot so it’s a bit hit and miss. Avoiding the obvious business time trains helps a bit. There look to be quite a few “no shows” which is why you have to wait till the last minute to get the upgrade if you haven’t paid the full fare.

For someone paying the normal fare you can book first class and get a guaranteed seat. You can’t reserve seats at local stations. I think you have to book by phone at Lanyon Place Station.

 

[ricohallo]

That's very helpful, thank you very much!
It appears that the upgrade might the same as the onboard upgrade mentioned by IÉ on their website, good to know it will probably be possible to buy an upgrade on the spot if first class isn't sold out. If it is, I'll be totally fine travelling in standard class instead. I'll be travelling on the 10:35 service so I assume there's definitely a chance?

I'll stop by at the ticket office at Lanyon Place to see what they're able to do and otherwise I'll try to get the upgrade when boarding.

 

[Elwyn]

Yes, I often get the 10.35 and usually get a 1st seat OK. Sometimes if there’s a big concert or match on in Dublin then it’s full.

The €16 price will simply be £13 in euros. Not sure if you are returning but you can’t buy a return upgrade. It has to be 2 singles which they’ll only sell when they know there is space.

There’s a green and red light system above each seat to show whether it’s booked or not. Apart from wider seating, 1st gets you a free glass of juice and at table service for breakfast (on the 10.35) and drinks if you want them.

 

[ricohallo]

Currently on the Enterprise service in first class.
The ticket office at Lanyon Place also can't sell upgrades or reservations, and indeed advised to call Translink for seat reservations and buy upgrades when boarding.

I was able to purchase an upgrade on board, which is also 16 EUR or the equivalent in GBP. They take both cash (euros and pounds) and card. I paid £14.88 in cash so there's a little mark-up but it was a good way for me to get rid of some pounds (I'm not from the UK). Change is given in EUR.

Anyway @Elwyn Thanks for your help, the information was really useful to me and perhaps also for those reading this in the future.

 

[danm14]

I was able to purchase an upgrade on board, which is also 16 EUR or the equivalent in GBP. They take both cash (euros and pounds) and card. I paid £14.88 in cash so there's a little mark-up but it was a good way for me to get rid of some pounds (I'm not from the UK). Change is given in EUR.

This will depend on whether the train is staffed by NI Railways or Irish Rail.

NI Railways accept Euro at a reasonable, set exchange rate (unless it's changed very recently it's currently €1 = £0.87 and has been for at least five years) and give change in the currency tendered.

Irish Rail accept Sterling at a highly inflated exchange rate (effectively whatever the staff member feels like charging) and give change in Euro.

In a similar vein, Irish Rail's sister company, Bus Eireann, had a nice scam going on their cross-border bus routes until a few years ago. Cross-border buses couldn't be booked online, and those who wished to pay in Sterling were charged whatever the driver wanted to charge - in many cases £1 = €1 - with change given in Euro. Drivers would then pay in the fare in Euro, keeping the profit. If you didn't like the price, you could wait for the next bus and hope you'd get a better rate. Ulsterbus (NI Railways' sister company) on the other hand charged those paying in Euro a fixed Euro fare calculated at a reasonable exchange rate and gave change in Euro.

Not sure if you are returning but you can’t buy a return upgrade. It has to be 2 singles which they’ll only sell when they know there is space.

When you are returning from Dublin you can buy an upgrade online on the Irish Rail website (select the Free Travel Pass or valid ticket option) and book a seat at the same time. You can do so up to 60 minutes prior to the train departing Dublin. This can be used by holders of Irish Free Travel Passes, NI Senior/War Disabled/Blind SmartPasses and regular standard class ticketholders alike.

This applies to both the outbound and return leg of journeys starting in the Republic (although both must be booked together) - but only the return leg of journeys starting in Northern Ireland.