NEW DELHI: Passengers on Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains can now enjoy hot and hygienic ready-to-eat food instead of cooked meals, with the Indian Railways rolling out the service on some premium trains.
Idli, poha, upma, rajma chawal, vegetable biryani and pulav are among the dishes available. The idea was to provide fresh, good-quality and hygienic food to passengers, the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) said.
“Passengers may pick between ready-to-eat and cooked food. To start with, the facility is available in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains’ pantry cars and passengers’ feedback is being collected,” said an IRCTC official.
Earlier, packets of such food were served in emergency situations, like train delays due to fog. No extra charge is being imposed on passengers for the ready-to-eat meals, said the IRCTC.
“The cost is nearly the same as that of cooked meals and it is convenient to store, hygienically better and provides variety to the menu. Several companies provide ready-to-eat food packets,” the official added.
The Railways has been experimenting with catering services and introduced e-catering in 2015. But the service received a lukewarm response and failed to resonate with passengers, with the share of online catering staying below 1 per cent. It has also introduced optional catering services on Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto and Gatiman trains, where catering is managed by the IRCTC.
In a move to improve catering services in trains, Railway came up with the New Catering Policy 2017 in February this year.
Food for thought
The Indian Railways provides 12 lakh meals per day. About 10 lakh are provided through pantry cars, while the remaining 2 lakh are provided through static catering units at railway stations across the country