The Green Army and other supporters travelling to Russia for the World Cup next year will not have to fork out money on train tickets, as trains will be free for fans travelling between the 11 host cities.
The system was in place for this summer's Confederation Cup but it has now been confirmed it will also be in use for next year's tournament.
The railway tickets will be made available after the draw for the group stages has taken place, which will be held on December 1 at the Kremlin.
Transportation Directorate, Terenty Mescheryakov, told ESPN FC:
We killed two birds with one stone
There were two issues to deal with - how to accommodate thousands of fans coming to Russia and how to provide them with easy transportation between the host cities.
Having implemented this service we've solved both issues. The vast majority of our trains start at night and arrive in the morning so that the fans can sleep and move to the next destination at the same time. Therefore, instead of having to search for a place to stay in a possibly already-packed city after the match, they can just board the train, have a sleep and arrive at the new city for the next match.
Actually, this service was one of the advantages of our World Cup bid, as no other had anything like it. Plus, it's something that no other World Cup or European Championship host ever did for the fans. Yes, there was free transportation for journalists during some of the tournaments, but we are gladly providing this service for all the fans.
To avail of the free tickets, two items will be required by fans, a match ticket and a Fan ID.
With only four games left to secure a place at the finals, Ireland fans must be optimistic of qualification for the World Cup. The Republic sit in second place, level on points with Serbia and four points clear of Wales in third place on eight points.
Ireland's next round of qualifying games will take place between September 2 - 5 when they travel to Georgia before taking on Serbia in the Aviva.
Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
