The Railway Board has given IRCTC, its catering and tourism arm, the freedom to change its menu to include healthy items for diabetics, infants and health enthusiasts, besides local and regional cuisine. According to a note sent by the Railway Board to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the action is aimed at enhancing catering services and providing more options for passengers.
“As a measure to improve the catering services in trains, it has been decided to give freedom to IRCTC to customize the menu so as to include regional cuisine/preferences, seasonal cuisine, requirement during festivals, food items as per one’s liking Various group of travelers like diabetic food, baby food, health food options including millet based local products,” the note said.
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Currently, IRCTC has to get the menu, which mainly consists of standardized food items and beverages, approved by the Railway Board before it can introduce them in trains.
The note also said that for ‘prepaid’ trains, where catering charges are included in the passenger fare, the menu will be decided within the tariff already notified by IRCTC.
In addition, sale of a-la-carte food and branded food items at MRP will also be allowed in these ‘prepaid’ trains. It was noted that IRCTC would decide the menu and tariff of such a-la-carte meals.
For other Mail/Express trains, a menu of budget segment items like standard meals will be decided within the prescribed tariff already notified by IRCTC. It noted that the menu and charges of the ‘Janata’ meal would remain unchanged. Sale of a-la-carte food and branded food items at MRP will be permitted in Mail/Express trains. It said that IRCTC will decide the menu and tariff of such ala carte meals.
“While deciding the menu, IRCTC shall ensure that upgradation is maintained in the quality and standards of food and service and safeguards to avoid frequent and unwarranted changes such as reduction in quantity and quality, use of substandard brands etc. Passenger complaints,” the Railway Board’s note said.
It also said that the menu should be in line with the tariff, and that they should be pre-notified for the information of the passengers. IRCTC was providing local cuisine in trains apart from tying up with chains where they shared the revenue earned.
With inputs from PTI