New step towards a combined "train and ferry" ticket between Ireland and France in 2024 [fr]

With the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2023 starting this Friday in France, Ireland and France are taking another step towards the launch of a combined “Sail &Rail” ticket between the two countries in 2024.

Announced by the President of the French Republic and the then Taoiseach on 24 November 2022, these tickets will simplify booking and travelling between our two countries from next year and encourage environmentally-friendly modes of transport at an attractive fare.

From early September, travellers between France and Ireland who use both the ferry and the train to start or continue their journey will be able to book their train tickets from the Brittany Ferries and Irish Ferries websites, thanks to links to the rail operators’ websites.

What’s more is that this new Sail-Rail facility gives passengers access to discounted fares to encourage passengers to avail of this initiative. In addition, getting to the relevant train stations at either end is also now easier and inclusive in the Sail-Rail bundle. Thanks to the efforts of the local and transport authorities, port transfers from the station to the ferry terminal are now facilitated by buses in Dublin, Cork, Cherbourg and Roscoff.

Reservations for this ferry-train combination are also possible from the online booking platforms Rail-Europe, Trainline and participating rail operators.

These arrangements will be further simplified in 2024 with the launch of combined “Sail & Rail” tickets, allowing a single booking, with a single ticket for the entire rail and sea journey.

Trains and ferries are the most energy-efficient modes of transport and are much more sustainable alternatives to air travel. For the same distance travelled, the ferry emits 1% of what the plane emits in terms of CO2 per tonne-km, and the train 8%.