Irish Rail customers have been given an indication of when the on-board catering service will resume - and it's not any time soon.
The service was suspended at the outset of the Covid pandemic due to the rules surrounding mask-wearing on public transport.
Masks are still mandated on all Irish Rail trains, although the measures in place surrounding face coverings look set to ease from next week.
It is expected that from February 28, the requirement to wear masks in certain settings, including on public transport and in shops, will be removed.
Instead, people will have the option to decide for themselves whether to don a face covering.
Despite the rules likely being eased, Irish Rail has said its on-board trolley service will probably not return until early April.
This is due to staffing issues with the transport company's catering provider.
A spokesperson for Irish Rail told the Irish Mirror: "We have been engaging with our Catering Provider on the prospect of the regulations changing, which would permit the resumption of on-board catering.
"Our Catering Provider has obviously been through an extremely challenging period of almost two years without operating, and they will need to re-establish the staffing resources necessary to deliver the on-board catering service.
"This is expected to take approximately one month, and we are therefore working towards having catering available from the beginning of April, and we will confirm details nearer the time."
A notice on the Irish Rail website also informs passengers that on-board catering is not currently available "due to commercial issues arising from Covid-19".
It reads: "Iarnrod Eireann regrets to inform customers that due to commercial issues arising from Covid-19, our catering providers Rail Gourmet (Rep of Ireland Intercity services) and Corporate Catering Services Limited (Enterprise) have suspended operations on our services. As a result, catering services will not be available on our services:
"We apologise for any inconvenience caused, we wish our catering colleagues well and look forward to welcoming them back soon."
There was disappointment among many passengers in January when it emerged that the snack trolley would not return even as the majority of restrictions eased.
From January 22, most of Ireland's coronavirus rules were lifted, including restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings and on hospitality settings.
However, mask-wearing mandates were kept in force for public transport, retail and healthcare settings.
A spokesperson for Irish Rail said at the time that the company "will act on the advice of both the HSE when it comes to the reintroduction of catering onboard our services".
"The regulation governing face coverings on public transport does not provide for the removal of face coverings to eat and drink, but to take medication only currently," they added.
This rule is set to be eased from next week following a meeting of the three Coalition leaders on Monday and a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The move comes after a letter addressed to Minister Stephen Donnelly from the Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan advised that face masks can be taken off in schools, shops, on public transport and in the workplace.
