Gay couple barred from boarding train at Heuston station

IRISH RAIL have apologised to a gay married couple who missed their train to Cork last weekend because staff in Dublin refused to accept their valid free travel pass.

Noel Dolan, from Cork, and his terminally ill husband, Juan Carlos Camacho Suarez, had travelled to Dublin to take part in Sunday’s march for civil marriage equality.

Mr Dolan receives disability allowance and Mr Camacho Suarez, who is named on his travel pass, is an adult dependent on his allowance.

The couple, who were married over a year ago in Spain, say they were treated like everybody else when they travelled from Cork to Dublin.

However, when they tried to board the 6pm train to Cork, Mr Dolan claims, an official ordered them to stand aside and told them Irish Rail did not recognise same-sex marriages.

Mr Dolan claims a second official said they would not be prevented from travelling but that, as far as the second official was concerned, same-sex couples were not allowed to use a travel pass. In the end, the couple had to wait an hour for the next train. Mr Dolan said the second official escorted them ahead of other passengers to ensure they got preferred seats on the 7pm service.

“That staff with Irish Rail would treat me and my husband like this is ignorant, reprehensible and inexcusable,” said Mr Dolan.

Irish Rail’s manager of corporate communications, Barry Kenny, said they had apologised by email to Mr Dolan. He said the couple should not have been prevented from boarding the train.

Mr Kenny said staff in Heuston Station were not aware of changes to the provisions of the free travel scheme arising from the Civil Partnership Act of 2010.

Last December, the Department of Social Protection wrote to public transport companies informing them of the changes.

Mr Kenny said staff at Heuston had not been made aware of the change in relation to same-sex couples, and had believed they were correctly applying the provisions of the scheme.

“We will issue a notice to ensure that this matter is explicitly clarified and to ensure such an incident cannot recur,” he said.