A snack and a cup of tea from an Irish rail snack trolley used to be a proper treat on a long train journey but for a while now they’ve been out of action. The familiar sound of a rackety trolley no longer echoes through the carriages.
Sure, it means that you can have your legs in the aisle slightly without the threat of being bashed into by an Irish Rail snack trolley, but it’s just not the same, is it?
However, there’s been some news regarding the old snack trolleys. Irish Rail has announced that they will return this month but only on selected routes between Dublin and Cork.
The service will be provided by Carriage Food Services which already caters for the Dublin to Belfast Enterprise service. We’ll see more and more trolleys appearing until the service incorporates all of the Dublin to Cork trains. They will also be trialing vending machines on some routes.
A spokesperson from Irish Rail said: ‘We have been as keen as our customers to see on-board catering resume, and are delighted to be in a position to do so with this interim provision. We also believe that the success of the interim service will ensure that some of the inflated costs being quoted for full catering provision across our Intercity network will be reduced through the full procurement process.’
So, fingers crossed we’ll hear that familiar Irish Rail snack trolley rattle this month. If not then, you’ll have to pack your own sandwiches and hope they don’t get too squashed in your bag.