HYDERABAD: With Indian Railways barring cooking on pantry cars, the new trend of e-catering is finding increased patronage among travellers. With 17 active vendors in Vijayawada, one of the major junctions connecting Delhi and Kolkata to Chennai and other places of southern India, it has turned to be a busy centre in providing food to passengers.
After the catering services onboard from pantry cars were hit, people, who don’t wish to consume ‘ready-to-eat meals’ are ordering their food online. Passengers book through the online portal of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian Railways. According to IRCTC, which has tied up with local restaurants and eateries, it has served 73,354 meals between February and July-end (with 405 meals booked each day on an average) in Vijayawada.
“The only station which can come close to this is Nagpur, but within South Central Railway (SCR) limits, Vijayawada is on top. Local restaurants on the list offer preferred meals without charging extra. Those who wish to have meals can order two hours ahead of the arrival at the station and meals are delivered at the window by dedicated youth,” informed the officials.
The menu, along with a picture of the food item, is clearly displayed on the e-catering portal by local vendors. Passengers can pay cash on delivery or prepay through digital payment platforms.