Tea trolleys will return to Dublin/Galway trains as part of a six-month pilot service.
Catering on a number of rail routes were suspended in 2020 during Covid-19, with the service only available on the Dublin/Cork and Dublin/Belfast lines since May 2023.
However, from Monday, tea trolleys will once again be rolled out on selected trains on the Dublin Heuston to Galway route.
On Monday to Saturday, the services are:
7.35am Heuston to Galway, 11.05am Galway to Heuston
9.25am Heuston to Galway, 1.05pm Galway to Heuston
11.30am Heuston to Galway, 3.05pm Galway to Heuston
On Sunday, the services are:
8am Heuston to Galway, 11am Galway to Heuston
10.30am Heuston to Galway, 1.40pm Galway to Heuston
11.40am Heuston to Galway, 3pm Galway to Heuston
The journey between Heuston Station and Galway typically takes around two-and-a-half hours.
Iarnród Eireann said there was potential to extend to more services and other routes during the course of the pilot.
A spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann said: “We know how much our customers value an on-board catering service, and with record demand for our train services, we appreciate that it has been frustrating that it has been limited to Dublin to Cork (also benefiting most Limerick and Kerry customers) and Dublin to Belfast routes over recent years.
“We will undertake this pilot with Sambos.ie to help determine the potential for more extensive catering operation on a commercial basis, which will be decided upon completion of the pilot, in consultation with the National Transport Authority.”
Fine Gael’s Seanad Spokesperson on Transport Mark Duffy said the decision showed Iarnród Eireann was listening to passengers.
However, he said the demand behind the pilot programme will not disappear once it ends, and the extension of catering services should not hinge on a six-month trial.
He said: “The demand for catering on our Intercity network is well established at this stage. Whatever the pilot tells us about Galway, the demand across the network isn’t going to go away.
“There needs to be continued investment in these services, which should be treated as a basic need while travelling across the country.”
“There are still numerous lines without any catering, like Westport, Waterford and Sligo, and while this is much needed progress on Irish Rail’s part, we can’t just stop by serving the Cork, Belfast and Galway line,” he added.