Seán Canney TD, Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports and Leader in Cabinet of the Independent Ministers, has welcomed the introduction of a six-month pilot catering trolley service on selected Dublin-Galway trains from Monday, 24 August.
Iarnród Éireann has confirmed that the pilot will operate on selected services between Dublin Heuston and Galway and will be provided by Irish company Sambos.ie.
The pilot will operate on a commercial basis, without Public Service Obligation (PSO) funding, and will help determine the potential viability of providing on-board catering more extensively across the Intercity network.
Minister Canney said the pilot was a positive development for passengers travelling between Galway and Dublin.
“This is a welcome step for passengers on the Galway-Dublin route. We know that people value the convenience of being able to get a tea, coffee or something to eat during their journey, particularly on longer Intercity services.
“This six-month pilot will give Iarnród Éireann the opportunity to assess the demand for a commercially operated catering service on the Galway route and whether there is potential to extend this type of service to more trains and other Intercity routes in the future.”
The trolley service will initially operate on three services in each direction daily.
Since May 2023, catering services have been provided solely on the Dublin-Cork and Dublin-Belfast routes within the PSO funding currently available under Iarnród Éireann’s contract with the National Transport Authority.
Iarnród Éireann has undertaken extensive market engagement to identify innovative solutions which could enable on-board catering to be provided more widely across the Intercity network on a commercial basis, in response to customer demand.
There is potential for the service to be extended to additional trains and other routes during the six-month pilot. The longer-term viability of the service will be determined following the pilot, in consultation with the National Transport Authority.
Services operating catering pilot
Monday to Saturday:
- 07.35 Heuston to Galway (*Fridays only – change at Athlone)
- 09.25 Heuston to Galway
- 11.30 Heuston to Galway
- 11.05 Galway to Heuston
- 13.05 Galway to Heuston
- 15.05 Galway to Heuston
Sunday:
- 08.00 Heuston to Galway
- 10.30 Heuston to Galway
- 11.40 Heuston to Galway
- 11.00 Galway to Heuston
- 13.40 Galway to Heuston
- 15.00 Galway to Heuston
