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IRCTC has changed the entire system to improve the quality of food served in trains. Now instead of cooking the food ourselves, it is being given to professional F&B operators like Haldiram, CAFS, ISKCON and Vaishno Devi Sarovar Portico. Its trial has started in trains like Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat and good feedback is being received from passengers. Local flavored meals have also been added as per the route in the new model. If the trial is successful, IRCTC will also implement it in premium trains like Shatabdi and Rajdhani.
New Delhi. Complaints about bad food in trains have been coming for years, but now IRCTC has started preparations to completely change this system. Railways has separated food preparation and food serving, and the work of preparing meals is now being entrusted to professional F&B operators. This means that passengers will get the same fresh and hygienic food in the train which is usually available in airlines or big restaurants.
Its trial has already started in trains like Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat. Operators like Haldiram, Casino Air Caterers and Flight Services, Safal Foodies, Vaishno Devi Sarovar Portico and ISKCON are serving food on many routes. The feedback from passengers has been positive so far and IRCTC is preparing to implement it on a large scale.
Why did the entire food system of IRCTC change?
Earlier, IRCTC used to manage both preparation and service itself or get it done through vendors. But here there were continuous complaints regarding quality and hygiene. Therefore, now the model has become completely different in which food is cooked only by those who are experts in this industry. With this, everything is improving in trains, from local flavor to branded hygiene.
In which trains the trial is going on
Trials have started in select Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat Express trains and IRCTC is appointing a different operator for each route. Some examples are like this.
Trials in Vande Bharat Express
- Vande from Nagpur to Secunderabad is managing Haldiram and Alier Meals in India.
- CAFS is preparing food for trains from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru to Thiruvananthapuram.
- CAFS Gandhinagar Kitchen and Safal Foodies Rajkot are providing service from Ahmedabad to Veraval.
- Vaishno Devi Sarovar Portico is catering in both the Vande Bharat trains going from Katra to Srinagar.
Trials in Amrit Bharat Express
- Touch Stone Foundation is providing food to Sitamarhi Amrit from Delhi in India.
- ISKCON is serving meals to Dwarka passengers in the train from Bapudham Motihari to Anand Vihar.
What has changed in the menu
Now local flavor has been added according to each route. Local curries and snacks in trains in South India, special thalis and millet-based options in North India, while some trains are also offering packed meals of regional brands. This is the new formula of IRCTC. The food on each route is being prepared according to the taste of that area so that the experience of the passengers is better.
What is IRCTC’s next plan?
IRCTC is analyzing the feedback of the trials. If everything goes as per plan, this model will also be implemented in Shatabdi, Rajdhani and other premium trains. The aim is that the food served in the train should be at par with airline standards and passengers can eat without any worries.
