DUBLIN/SLIGO — Labour Senator Nessa Cosgrove has intensified her campaign for the full reinstatement of catering services on Irish Rail’s long-distance routes, particularly the Sligo-Dublin line, by personally operating a makeshift ‘snack cart’ during a recent commute.
The Sligo Senator, who travels weekly for her Seanad duties, shared a video that has garnered tens of thousands of views, showing her handing out complimentary water, crisps (including Tayto), and chocolate bars to fellow passengers. The action was designed to draw attention to the three-and-a-half-hour journey lacking basic amenities.
Senator Cosgrove, a member of the Joint Oireachtas Transport Committee, described onboard catering as a “basic public service,” essential for commuters, especially older people, families, and those with health conditions facing long trips for appointments or work.
While refreshment services have been restored on the Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Belfast lines following the Covid-19 pandemic suspension, the Sligo, Galway, and Mayo routes remain without them.
Funding a Barrier to Restoration
Irish Rail confirmed that the procurement process to reinstate the service on the affected routes has been completed and a preferred supplier identified. However, the service “is not currently funded,” with Irish Rail and the National Transport Authority (NTA) citing funding shortages as the reason for the continued suspension.
This delay has drawn sharp criticism. Senator Mark Duffy, Seanad spokesperson on Transport, Energy and Climate, described the NTA’s failure to provide a breakdown of costings to the Oireachtas Transport Committee since May as “disrespectful” to the public and the committee.
Cosgrove also linked the catering issue to broader concerns about inadequate transport investment in the Northwest, noting that the first train into Sligo does not arrive until nearly 10 am, which is too late for many commuters. Her video, she concluded, struck a chord because “people value public transport and just want it to work properly.”
