Offaly rail passengers to benefit from catering services pilot from Monday
Offaly Fine Gael TD John Clendennen has welcomed the recent confirmation from Irish Rail that onboard catering is to return to selected train services serving Tullamore and Clara from this Monday, August 24.
Iarnród Éireann said a new catering trolley service will operate on selected services between Dublin Heuston and Galway as part of a six-month pilot, with the service being provided commercially by Irish company Sambos.ie.
The announcement follows previous calls from Deputy Clendennen for catering services to be restored to InterCity trains serving Offaly.
In June, Deputy Clendennen raised the absence of onboard catering through a parliamentary question to the Minister for Transport, specifically highlighting that passengers travelling on the Dublin to Galway and Dublin to Westport corridors did not have access to a trolley service despite catering being available on other InterCity routes.
He subsequently raised the matter directly in the Dáil in July, calling for the planned restoration of catering to include the Dublin to Galway and Westport routes in order to benefit passengers travelling through Tullamore.
"This is a very welcome development for rail passengers in Tullamore, Clara and across Offaly," said Deputy Clendennen.
"I have been raising the restoration of onboard catering with both the Minister and Iarnród Éireann because passengers travelling to and from Offaly should be able to expect a comparable level of service to that available on other InterCity routes.
"Last month I raised this issue directly on the floor of the Dáil and specifically asked that routes serving Offaly be included in the restoration of catering services. I had previously received confirmation from Iarnród Éireann that catering was due to return on a pilot basis, so I am particularly pleased that the Galway route serving Offaly has now been selected.
"For commuters, families, tourists and anybody undertaking a longer rail journey, the ability to purchase a tea, coffee, drink or something to eat onboard makes a real difference to the passenger experience," he added.
"The fact that this is being trialled commercially, without additional PSO (Public Service Obligation) funding, also provides an opportunity to demonstrate that there is a sustainable demand for the service."
The six-month pilot will initially operate on three services in each direction each day on the Dublin to Galway route. Iarnród Éireann has indicated that there is potential for the catering service to be extended to additional services and other routes during the pilot.
Deputy Clendennen said it was now important for passengers to support the service and for Iarnród Éireann and the National Transport Authority to examine opportunities to expand it.
"I would encourage passengers to make use of the trolley service during the pilot. If we can demonstrate strong demand, I want to see catering retained permanently and ultimately expanded to more of the trains serving Offaly.
"This is a positive step and I am delighted that Offaly passengers will benefit from Monday but I will also continue to pursue the other improvements I have raised for Offaly, particularly the need for a later evening train from Dublin to Tullamore," he concluded.