Irish Rail Catering Survey
 

Can see very little or no positive feedback results in this survey.

Being objective

1. Rail Gourmet present a far more professional public image, uniform, name badges etc

2. Absence of catering on a train where advertised is a rare event compared to days of old

3. Range carried by trolley is vastly improved over previous

The only major issue is price

Getting a hot meal and prompt service in the dining car would be nice.

Prices are fine compared to coffee shops/bars, I suppose. But the last two times I've travelled, the advertised catering service hasn't been delivered (one shop only instead of full meals and one no service instead of shop and trolley).

That there is no complimentary refreshment offering of any kind in Citygold/Premier and just an orange juice in Enterprise First is a joke. At minimum there should be free soft drinks/beverages with for-pay meals which would be similar to First Great Western's offering.

I was let into CityGold once for free when the train was overcrowded. Tbh its no different to standard class just you get a light and headphones plug in and adjustable seating. Now must have been 16 people standing on that train only reason i was let in was the member of staff knew me for years using the train. There was only like 3 people in first class. Is there any real need for it. It's expensive and underused they could have much more capacity using that as a standard carriage. If someone wants to look posh sell them a pillow.

Virgin Trains and East Coast over here serve full breakfasts and dinners.

That is because it is run down to the extent that you have describe it. I remember getting full meals and complimentary newspapers and suchlike when citygold meant something. Citygold was a proper first class/business class offering using a seperate carriage with 2+1 seating whcih used a modified carraige of which there were few. on bringing in the mark4 fleet the name was carried over to what is carraige B on those sets. of that old service only the name survives. Thats why ony three people were using it, being back the full service and it will attract a lot more patrons.

They don't actually make it easy to buy tickets.

On my last attempt to buy a first class ticket, I went to the booking office and was told that I should get a second class ticket and upgrade on the train.

While they probably need to ensure that 1st class isn't overcrowded, that is a farcical way to do it.

They're probably trying to do you a favour. Half the trains don't have a ticket checker any more.

I think IE could make more of an effort with First class. Citygold is nothing like the service offered when it was launched. The evening train to Cork was always packed and the buzz was fantastic as the regulars all knew each other well. NIR still maintains standards on the Enterprise although the catering offering after breakfast is uninspiring. Uniquely that service is available all weekend. I have some English friends who were astonished that they were able to get a cooked breakfast on a Sunday morning. No UK services offer catering at the weekend except Eurostar. There are shops where sandwiches and beverages can be purchased but thats it. Given nearly every rail service offers poorer timing than the roads and is more expensive than the bus, IE needs to give passengers reasons to use their services. Better catering should be obvious.