I don't have the exact details, but surely price has a lot to do with the decrease in 1st class patronage. The markup over standard (€20?) appears to be much the same for all journeys: this might be OK Dublin-Cork at peak times, but it's a huge premium to pay for Dublin-Waterford, or for an off-peak ticket, even to Cork.
Traditionally 2st class was 50% premium over 2nd/3rd. I have a feeling that the premium is now effectively 100% for many journeys. And while the financial premium has increased, the comfort premium has drastically diminished.
A classic case of zero martketing awareness. I am sure that there is money to be made fro offering premium services if you give it a bit of thought.
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