Irish Rail has announced that the tea trolley will not be making a return onboard in a big blow to customers.
The onboard catering service was suspended for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the food trolley has not made a return since the lifting of the mask mandate in February 2022.
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Now, Irish Rail has announced that despite "extensive efforts" the catering service will not make a comeback for the foreseeable future.
RailGourmet, which offers the services, has not been in a position to resume services primarily due to a staffing crisis and significant additional costs.
A spokesperson for Irish Rail said: "As a result, termination of the contract with RailGourmet has been agreed, and catering services will remain suspended. (Catering services on Enterprise, under a separate contract with Corporate Catering Services Ltd, are continuing to operate on a limited basis.)
"We will quickly commence the process to tender for a new catering contract. However, this will mean that catering services are unlikely to be available onboard until at least early 2023.
"We apologise for the inconvenience and look forward to the resumption of onboard catering as soon as possible.
"Many of our Intercity stations have existing retail/catering facilities available for customers, and Iarnród Éireann will work with CIÉ Property in the interim to further enhance, where possible, station based retail and catering options for customers."
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