ONBOARD CATERING SERVICES are to resume on the Cork to Dublin route from early April, Irish Rail has confirmed. 

The trolley service was withdrawn as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.

Carriage Food Services, who currently also provide catering services on board the Dublin to Belfast Enterprise service under a separate contract, will provide the service.

The trolley service will initially be available on selected services on the Cork to Dublin route from early April, building to all Cork-Dublin services within a number of weeks.

With Cork to Dublin also serving the vast majority of customers travelling to/from Kerry (changing at Mallow) and Limerick (changing at Limerick Junction), 50% of Intercity customers will have on-board catering available, including Dublin-Belfast Enterprise, Irish Rail said. 

Irish Rail said it will begin a full procurement process for catering services across the rest of the Intercity network.

It is also looking at a pilot for catering vending machines on selected trains.

“If successful and progressed further, vending machines would be intended to be complementary to on board trolley services,” Irish Rail said. 

Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Irish Rail spokesperson Barry Kenny said it is down to the catering provider to decide the prices for items onsale. 

However he said, as they will have competition from stores in the stations, “they’re not going to go with outrageous costs”.