Irish Rail defended the price of its tickets for passengers travelling into Dublin from north of Balbriggan as a new campaign was launched claiming that commuters are victims of "a great train robbery in rail fare rip-offs".
The Commuter North Rail Users' Group said that fares into Dublin can be much more expensive depending on which station you leave from.
Irish Rail operates an "outer short hop" zone from Greystones on the southside of Dublin to Balbriggan on the northside. However, in Laytown, the next stop north of Balbriggan, the price of tickets can be up to five times more expensive.
"You can get a single fare from Balbriggan to Greystones for €3.50, but to go from Laytown, which is the next stop and seven miles further up the line from Balbriggan, the cost is €17.50," said Brian Hanratty, spokesman for the group.
The group said the price of an annual ticket from Laytown or Drogheda into Dublin can be up to €500 more expensive than one from Balbriggan.
"For being the extra few miles from Balbriggan we are paying so much extra. I used to go to Balbriggan to get the train but there is so little parking that I had to be there before 7am to get a space. I decided that for the extra I would go back to Laytown because there is parking here," said Fintan Maher who commutes into Dublin daily from Laytown.
"I get the annual ticket and pay over €1,500 for it; we bought a house here and this [Laytown] is really part of greater Dublin and not on the inter-city line. The quality of the commute is poor and the extra capacity on the line that Irish Rail talks about was achieved by using trains with fewer seats. It has got to the stage where cattle are transported more humanely," said Joe Kelly, an accountant who lives in east Meath but works in Clonskeagh.
"It is a rip-off," said Ciarán Fitzpatrick who travels to Dublin every day.
Mr Hanratty said the group wants to meet Irish Rail and the Minister for Transport and will argue against any further increase in ticket prices. "Irish Rail has increased its capacity on this line and still wants an increase in prices and that is not sustainable to us."
Irish Rail spokesman Barry Kenny said the company would meet the group but ruled out any decrease in prices.
"We will be reviewing our ticket and fare pricing structures next year but we do not envisage fares dropping. We believe they are good value for money and compare well to other countries. It costs €58 for a weekly ticket from Dundalk to Dublin but a similar 50-mile journey from Bedford to London is €110; our commuter fares are extremely low."