The Railway Board has given its catering and tourism arm IRCTC the flexibility to customise its menu to include local and regional cuisines as well as food suitable for diabetics, infants and health aficionados. The move is aimed at improving catering services on trains and give passengers more options.
"IRCTC, is all set to play a bigger role in the passenger train catering services. Ministry of Railways has recently entrusted the company with the additional responsibility of deciding the menu of the meals served to the passengers on-board premium and mail/express passenger trains. Since its inception, IRCTC has been focusing its strength of professional hospitality services on improving the quality of catering services on trains as well as stations and has played an important role in professionalizing and improving the meal experience of the passengers" read a statement released by WR.
IRCTC welcomes the move
The above step of Ministry of Railways to entrust IRCTC with the power to decide the menu on trains is seen as a welcome move and IRCTC will be able to introduce an array of menu options for the passengers with the aim of promoting regional delicacies, seasonal dishes, festive foods besides catering to the special requirements of patients, health conscious passengers and infants through introducing diabetic food, health food and baby food. Besides, at the behest of Government of India, the world will be celebrating 2023 as the “International Year of Millets” to promote the consumption of highly nutritious nutri-cereal Bajra and IRCTC is all gearing up to introduce Millets in its menu to promote the noble initiative of the Government of India.
Besides this, Ministry of Railways, has also permitted IRCTC to sell branded food items as well as dishes/meals available in the menu (a-la-carte dishes) in premium as well as mail/express passenger trains. While the branded food items will be sold as per MRP, the a-la-carte meals will be priced by IRCTC. The above move of Ministry of Railways is seen to be extremely encouraging with the aim of improving the overall meal experience of the passengers. Rail travelers will now be able to order meals from wider options of menu and can now relish on wider array of dishes as per their choice and palette.
