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New food and drink options have been added to the on-board menu of NSW TrainLink long-distance services – including the service through Orange to Dubbo. The changes come ahead of summer’s peak travel season, offering passengers a broader mix of light snacks and more substantial meals.
Popular new items include rice paper rolls, granola yoghurt and specialty flavoured pies such as beef, cheese and bacon, and chicken and mushroom. Other additions range from carrot and celery snack pots with hummus to salad bowls, a chicken and avocado panini and an Italian club baguette.
Several meals introduced during winter have also remained on the summer menu due to demand, including butter chicken and rice.
NSW TrainLink reviews its on-board offering seasonally, drawing on food trends, customer feedback and advice from frontline staff about what works best on long rail journeys.
Menu items are served daily in the buffet cars of XPT and XPLORER trains operating to Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, Casino, Moree, Armidale, Griffith and Dubbo. As part of the refresh, some hot meals are now presented in segmented containers to keep components like rice and meat separate, helping maintain texture and flavour when heated.
Where possible, ingredients are sourced from regional areas, with the current menu featuring pies and sausage rolls from a bakery in the state’s Central West. Dietary needs continue to be catered for, including gluten-free, halal and vegetarian options.
Chief Executive Roger Weeks said the changes were designed to lift the customer experience. He said all items are priced under $20, with best-sellers such as Devonshire tea available for $8.50.