Irish Rail puts the brakes on new plans for Galway trains
The semi-state company had sought tenders for a €1.5m contract to install and maintain vending machines on its trains
Irish Rail has scrapped plans to install vending machines on InterCity trains serving its routes from Galway to Dublin and Limerick.
The semi-state company had initiated a public procurement process, seeking tenders for a contract to install and maintain vending machines on trains, which were expected to offer cold drinks, snacks and confectionery.
The machines were to be specially designed to withstand shocks and vibrations, and it was planned to locate them in the galley car on each InterCity service.
The estimated value of the contract for the installation and maintenance of the machines was €1.5 million for a term of five years with an option of a five-year extension, according to tender documents.
It followed the suspension of catering services on trains in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, since which Irish Rail has struggled to secure contractors for the restoration of trolley services.
However, the company has now confirmed that it had abandoned plans for the installation of vending machines on all of its InterCity services.
“We ran a procurement process and had some interest, but ultimately we didn’t progress with the vending machine option for a number of reasons,” explained a spokesman.
These reasons included the cost of the project, which would have required modifications to train carriages to facilitate the machines, as well as challenges in getting machines that would meet the requirements for onboard vending.
The spokesman said the installation of the machines would also have required the removal of seats on InterCity trains at a time of record demand.
Irish Rail has instead launched a six-month pilot catering trolley service on the Dublin Heuston to Galway route, which officially commenced on August 24.
The service is being operated by Irish firm, Sambos.ie, on a commercial basis without Public Service Obligation (PSO) subvention. It’s currently limited to three return services each day daily, covering key morning and afternoon departures.
Irish Rail has indicated that it will consider whether to retain or expand the trolley service in consultation with the National Transport Authority (NTA) following the completion of the six-month pilot.
Catering services had already returned to the Dublin-Cork and Dublin-Belfast lines, but the two-and-a-half-hour Galway-Dublin route had remained without any way for passengers to purchase onboard refreshments.