Restaurant Cars on Galway & Sligo?

XPS_Zero wrote: »

I've brought up before my idea that they should start using the Premier coaches with a much smaller upgrade fee since they are not a real first class, since atm anyone can use them (though many passengers avoid them assuming they're bookings only) - and they may as well get some cash out of them.

But thinking about it recently I noticed something. Galway route often seems to have the restaurant car (which comes with the "premier" coaches) but it's often closed, and on the Connoly line the longest train ride in the country, Dublin-Sligo, never has a restaurant car. Why do they not have one on the longest bloody route in the country?
It's nearly an hour longer than Dublin-Beflast and Dublin-Cork.

We have been through it before, there is simply no demand for closing off a carriage, they were used for around 8 years. Since the premier sets were reduced to 5 coaches, charging an extra fee for this carriage would mean standard accommodation is the equivalent of a 4 car set and mean they could have to drop the 5 car and operate 2x3 to meet demand. I mean IE would of had them down to 4 cars but thankfully somebody saw sense to drop it.

They have never operated scheduled services to Sligo because demand on Sligo was usually higher and 420 seat capacity sets (380 off peak) were used until the fleet re config and Sligo was reduced to 265 off peak and 455 peak.

Typical day for the 5 cars is:
3 x Cork (+ Portloaise for servicing changes)
3 x Waterford (+1 Carlow)
2 x Galway
2 x Limerick
1 x Tralee
1 x Westport

With Galway/Waterford/Limerick getting extra on Friday/Saturday/Sunday with Cork getting less.

Rather a lot of the passengers on the Sligo line are using the train for local trips, and not into and out of Dublin like on the Heuston services. As well, the sets on the Sligo services also cover Maynooth and Drogheda trains. A cafe on board would get not a lot of use yet taking up a lot of seats on what is mainly a commuter train.