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19 Oct 2025
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19 Oct 2025
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LIMERICK train users will be once again able to purchase a cup of tea and a snack on the Limerick to Dublin rail line after Irish Rail suspended on-board catering in 2020.
The catering services will be available on the Limerick to Dublin line only but Irish Rail will proceed with a full procurement process for catering services across the Intercity network.
They also intend to progress with a pilot for catering vending machines on selected trains.
Catering services were suspended arising from COVID-19 restrictions for two years from February 2020 to February 2022.
Upon the lifting of face-covering regulations in February 2022, the company sought a restoration of services from the incumbent supplier RailGourmet.
Ultimately, RailGourmet were not in a position to resume services due to costs and staffing issues and withdrew from the contract in May 2022.
Since then, Irish Rail has engaged extensively with market providers to restore an onboard service.
Unfortunately, costs and staffing issues resulted in providers quoting prices to Irish Rail of many multiples of the previous contract to restore full services. Within Irish Rail’s current funding profile, and under public procurement regulations, this was not possible to achieve.
Irish Rail then engaged with suppliers on interim, partial options to conform with funding and procurement requirements.
While a partial service across all routes was considered, the requirement for multiple catering base facilities and a more dispersed workforce across all routes again saw this exceed available funding.
The interim measure of resuming Cork/Limerick to Dublin on-board catering ensures that Irish Rail maximises the number of customers who can avail of catering within the funding profile and procurement regulations.
Catering aboard the Limerick to Dublin rail line will commence in April 2023.
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