New Delhi: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC) has launched a Proof of Concept (PoC) across select trains to improve on-board catering, separating meal production from meal service and partnering with branded food and beverage providers, including industrial kitchens, restaurant chains, and flight caterers.

The trials are being conducted on several newly introduced Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat trains, aiming to deliver fresh, hygienic, and restaurant-quality meals to passengers. IRCTC, a Navaratna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, currently serves around 16.5 lakh meals daily across India’s railway network.

According to IRCTC, the initiative focuses on enhancing kitchen infrastructure, meal production processes, meal transfer, and overall service across the supply chain. “The focus through these trials remains on kitchen infrastructure, meal production processes, transfer of meal and service of meal in the entire supply chain,” the release said.

Trains included in the PoC include:

  • Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express – Meals provided by Haldiram’s (Nagpur) and Elior (Secunderabad)
  • Delhi-Sitamarhi Amrit Bharat Express – Touch Stone Foundation (Delhi)
  • Kasargod-Trivandrum & Mangalore-Trivandrum Vande Bharat Express – Casino Air Caterers & Flight Services (CAFS)

The trial menus feature a diverse range of restaurant-quality options, including local delicacies, to enhance passenger satisfaction. Early feedback from travellers has been positive, and IRCTC plans to analyse insights from the PoC to further improve and expand catering services on Indian Railways.

ANI