NEW DELHI: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now being used to monitor meals prepared for railway passengers. More than 800 base kitchens supplying food onboard trains have been brought under round-the-clock surveillance through AI-enabled CCTV cameras, all linked to a central monitoring war room at the Delhi headquarters of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
Addressing the media on Wednesday, IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director S.K. Jain said that around 2,400 AI-enabled cameras have been installed across 800 kitchens to ensure the quality of meals served onboard trains.
A dedicated war room has been established at the IRCTC headquarters, where AI-enabled cameras monitor kitchen operations and meal preparation activities round the clock. According to Jain, the system can detect even minor hygiene lapses, such as a strand of hair. The cameras can instantly identify deficiencies in food preparation and handling.
Besides flagging service deficiencies and quality issues, the AI system analyses the nature of errors to help improve operational standards. Jain said that more than 16.5 lakh meals are served daily on trains across the country, including meals provided with tickets on premium services such as the Rajdhani Express and other long-distance trains. The preparation of these meals is now being monitored through the AI-enabled surveillance system.
Responding to a question regarding difficulties faced by passengers during the Tatkal reservation window, Jain said that every effort is being made to ensure that confirmed tickets are available to genuine passengers while preventing access by malicious actors.
He said that IRCTC deactivated 3.5 crore fake accounts and removed a large number of bots in 2025 as part of its drive against fraudulent activities. Stringent measures continue to be implemented to prevent unauthorised attempts to book tickets during the Tatkal booking period.
Over 1,300 malicious domains identified
The IRCTC CMD also noted that more than 1,300 malicious email domains had been identified and blocked over the past year to safeguard genuine passengers. “In the last one year, we have lodged over 500 complaints with cyber cells regarding fraudulent activities,” Jain said.