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Passengers can now relish organic Alphonso mangoes in trains

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NEW DELHI: Rail passengers can now buy fresh, organic Alphonso mangoes from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra in trains. Indian Railways has tied up with a self-help group that will sell the mangoes at a discounted price.

According to Railways, the self-help group will sell the mangoes at a price of `470 per dozen. This is a first-of-its-kind effort to offer seasonal fruits in trains.

“Under the e-catering project, Shree Mahalakshmi Swayam Sahayata Bachat Ghat, famous for its export-quality Alphonso mangoes, has shown interest in selling fresh and naturally ripened organic mangoes to passengers,” said the Railways.

Former Railway minister Suresh Prabhu, in his rail budget speech in 2016-17, had announced the Railways’ partnership with self-help groups to support their work and products.

“Self-help groups not only provide employment to women but also respect and dignity. IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) has begun the process of empanelling self-help groups for providing catering/cooking services.

We are partnering with NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) to provide support and access to our IRCTC website to ensure extensive e- marketing for products produced by self-help groups, which would lead to increase in rural incomes,” Prabhu had said in his budget speech.

The Railways has also tied up with Trapigo, a last-mile business-to-business logistics service provider for food products which is a start-up launched by graduates from the Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Management and National Institute of Fashion Technology.

To ensure reliable delivery of hot and fresh food from the choicest restaurants in various cities, Trapigo, with its own team of delivery boys in co-branded uniforms, will guarantee the execution. Passengers can order the food on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation website. This new partnership was launched in Nagpur on June 1 on a pilot basis, with expansion plans including other cities in the north-central belt, including New Delhi, Itarsi, Jhansi and Bhopal.

Delectable offerings

  • A self-help group will sell the Alphonso mangoes in trains

  • The organic, naturally ripened fruit will be sold at a discounted price of K470 a dozen

  • The Railways has also tied up with a firm called Trapigo for delivery of hot and fresh food from the choicest restaurants in various cities in trains

  • The food can be ordered on the IRCTC website. The partnership was launched on June 1

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