Trolley service back on Galway–Dublin trains as Iarnród Éireann launches catering trial
Trolly catering will return to select Iarnród Éireann services between Galway and Dublin for the next six months.
Iarnród Éireann announced this week that trolley catering services will return to a number of Galway-Dublin trains from Monday, August 24, with Irish company Sambos.ie managing a six month pilot scheme.
The service will initially operate on three services in each direction on the Galway-Dublin route, seven days a week.
From Monday to Saturday, catering will be available on the 7.35am, 9.25am and 11.30am services from Dublin Heuston to Galway Ceannt Station, as well as the 11.05am, 1.05pm and 3.05pm services from Galway to Dublin.
Sunday services will operate with catering available on the 8am, 10.30am and 11.40am trains from Dublin to Galway, and the 11am, 1.40pm and 3pm services from Galway to Dublin.
Iarnród Éireann said the pilot would run for six months on a commercial basis, without Public Service Obligation (PSO) funding, to assess the long-term viability of reintroducing catering services.
On-board catering was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic and was not reinstated as resources were prioritised elsewhere by the Department of Transport.
In 2025, Iarnród Éireann told the Irish Independent that it was engaging with catering providers to explore cost-effective options for restoring the service as there was no NTA funding available.
Galway East TD Albert Dolan welcomed the announcement adding: “Demand for rail travel is at record levels, and improving the customer experience must go hand‑in‑hand with expanding capacity and reliability.”