A catering trolley service is to be reintroduced on selected Dublin Heuston to Galway trains from next Monday, as part of a six-month commercial pilot operated by Irish company Sambos.ie.
Catering carts on Iarnród Éireann have been discontinued since Covid, with the service currently only available on the Belfast and Cork lines.
Now a pilot on the Galway line will operate on a commercial basis without Public Service Obligation funding and will initially run on three services each way, Monday to Sunday, with potential expansion to additional services and routes as the pilot progresses.
Iarnród Éireann have said the pilot will help determine the viability of extending commercial catering across the Intercity network, with decisions to be made in consultation with the National Transport Authority upon completion.
Ballina-based Fine Gael Senator and Seanad spokesperson on Transport Mark Duffy said; “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 lines.”