An engineer will apply to the High Court on Monday for an order restraining Iarnród Éireann from refusing to allow him travel on its trains.
Dr Michael Grimes, Grianan House, Tramore Road, Cork, said he had gone to Ceannt station in Cork about 7.05 a.m. to buy a ticket to travel to Dublin, but a woman at the ticket booth had told him she could not sell him any tickets.
Dr Grimes said he had told the woman he was going to Dublin to make a court application concerning Irish Rail, and the woman replied that he would not be travelling by Irish Rail. Yesterday Dr Grimes applied for leave to challenge Irish Rail's refusal in judicial review proceedings. Mr Justice Kelly said he would not grant leave with only Dr Grimes represented. He directed that Irish Rail be informed of the application for leave and said he would hear both sides on Monday. Earlier this month Dr Grimes initiated proceedings challenging the company's decision to void a €2,150 ticket for unlimited rail travel which he had bought in January.
He was refused an interlocutory injunction directing the company to honour his annual ticket pending the outcome of those proceedings, which have yet to be heard.
During the injunction hearing, Dr Grimes, who claims to be an expert on railways, said he believed Iarnród Éireann's new Euro rail system represented a serious hazard to rail travellers.