No onboard catering on intercity trains until 2023

it was ran as an outsource as network catering was privatized in 2007.

Heuston would be the only one Im familiar with. The Galway Hooker bar does a decent carvery, other than that its Supermacs. So grab a mighty mac and eat it on board is what I usually do - because I know there will be little or in more recent times nothing on board.

Its a while since I was in Galway station but I only remember vending machines. It's about 8 years since I was last in Cork train station but I dont even remember vending machines there.

Effectively over 2 million per year to cater Dublin-Cork ? that works out somewhere round 200 quid a train

I must be going nuts. How on earth can this not be run as an outsource, menu prices set to cover costs . The trolleys and kitchen are all in place and power heat and light are all supplied .

A catering service "only" breaking even I can just about understand. How they manage to lose 2 million a year on it, would really make you wonder how is it being managed.

Someone must have missed a column in their excel spreadsheet because that figure is not adding up for me.

Minimum wage is 13.50. Over an 8 hour day, thats 108 euro a day in staff costs. A bag of crisps for a euro is about 80 cents profit, and 1.50 for a cup of tea is about 1.20 profit. So selling 50 cups of tea and 50 bags of crisps in a day covers the staff cost. So, I can understand the NTA complaining that it was 'only' breaking even. I don't understand how it can lose 2 million a year.

Note: My numbers are rough but you get the idea.

You can expect to pay 3.50 for a tea and 2 euro for crisps at least …. dont get how they are making a loss at all.

Limerick has a locally independent owned coffee shop that sells paninis and pastries (also soon a Grioladh) and has Canteen, Rift and a number of good shop deli counters close by. Even Starbucks is better than what the train offers.

Cork has a place right outside the station that will be better than anything you get on the train.

Tea at 3.50 x 0 = 0

But seriously the customer numbers just don't seem to be there.

Same ! every long distance IE service I've been on recently apart from one 0720 to Kilkenny has been jammed, and even that had enough folks on it who looked like they needed a coffee !

All the intercities I am on now are packed. But it's rare you see someone order anything from the trolley. The customer for tea isn't there.

I would say there is a big age difference between those who do and don't too. Younger people more likely to carry a coffee on tk the train and older order from trolley.

Was on a train in Italy from Rome to Naples a couple of years ago. It was the regional stopping service not the high speed train which was a fraction of the fare.

Anyway no catering onboard as you'd imagine it being essentially a commuter train but there was was homeless looking entrepreneur with a few plastic bags selling minerals, bars and crisps which he clearly bought in the supermarket.

Some Spanish high speeds have vending machines only too. Food on the Ave is great though although by their standards the Spanish think it's average and overpriced.

For many people the train is the start or end of their working day, if they could eat they would. When I used to back and forth with IE on the dublin-cork or translink Dublin belfast that would be my breakfast or dinner cos it was usually excellent.

Watching the trolly the last few times on Dublin-Cork its busy enough - dont see what the issue is.