Increase in public transport costs

Transport costs are to increase, with New Year price rises for mainline rail, DART, Luas, Dublin Bus and some road tolls.

Some new charges were introduced today, while others are coming into effect from Monday.

The National Consumer Agency has said the latest price hikes for public transport are excessive.

It says that for the economy to remain competitive, public transport companies should be reducing the price of tickets, not increasing them.

The increases will apply across a wide range of services from mainline rail and DART to the Luas. It will also cost more to drive through parts of Dublin and across the country.

A journey from Dublin to Galway will cost you €4 more by train and DART services in Dublin will increase by about 15-25 cent.

Iarnród Éireann argues that it applied for the increases because of the economic environment everyone is facing, and says it badly needs the revenue.

Driving through toll plazas will cost 10c more for car drivers - with the exception of the M50 and the Port Tunnel. There is a variety of new charges for haulage trucks.

Various Luas tickets on offer will cost around 5% more, with no increase in the cost of tickets for children.

And Dublin Bus fares will increase by 10c for an adult and 5c for a child.