Money awarded to wheelchair user harassed by rail staff

The Equality Tribunal has awarded €3,000 to a disabled man who was harassed by Iarnrod Éireann staff on the Cork to Thurles line.

Wheelchair user William Hennessy said new rules introduced by Iarnrod Eireann in 1999 meant he had to travel in the dining car of the train in a designated wheelchair area.

However, his motorised wheelchair was too large to fit in the designated area of some of the trains and he was refused permission to travel on a number of occasions.

He also complained that the dining-car staff resented him and claimed the food trolley was rammed up against him and that staff would gather in a group and point over and refer to him.

One occasion, Mr Hennessy claimed an egg was thrown at him from the dining car when he got off the train in Thurles.

In response, Iarnrod Éireann said the size of Mr Hennessy's motorised wheelchair was problematic because it was too big and would block the doors.

The company says it offered him a manual wheelchair to use on the journey, but he refused.

It also investigated the alleged egg-throwing incident and submitted a report to management.