NEW DELHI: Nearly 15 per cent passengers travelling in premium trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto chose to opt out of catering services since the service was launched in August last year.
The initial data collated by the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) — a railway PSU that handles catering in premium trains — shows that nearly 15 per cent passengers decided to choose ‘no’ for food option while booking their tickets.
Catering was made optional in 31 Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi trains on a trial basis for a period of six months starting August 1, 2017. The move was following several complaints received by Railway Board about the unhygienic and stale food provided to passengers in trains.
The option was provided to passengers in trains where food is part of the ticket and choosing to opt out of the meals brought down the ticket fare compared to tickets with pre-booked meals.
“The idea was to get a feedback on catering services and see percentage of passengers deciding to opt out of food menu. A review is already in progress in the IRCTC on the option and a decision based on it will be taken soon,” said sources.