Missed food options while booking tickets? Now you can purchase food onboard Vande Bharat trains
Passengers aboard Vande Bharat trains can purchase meals onboard even if they do not choose any food options while booking their tickets, the Railway Board announced on Friday.
“In order to provide options, choice of services and adequate catering facilities to current booking & non-optee passengers in Vande Bharat trains, sale and service of food items in Vande Bharat trains may be resumed by the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation),” the Railway Board said in a circular addressed to the chairman and managing director of IRCTC on Friday.
It added, “For current booking and non-optee passengers, the option of cooked meal may also be resumed (if available) which would be in addition to customised Ready to Eat (RTE) meal option.”
According to railway officials, several passengers routinely complained that IRCTC staff did not offer them food even if they wished to pay because they did not choose it while booking their tickets.
“Often it happens that you do not select a pre-paid food option at the time of booking but circumstances arise during the journey that you want to purchase food. In such cases, the IRCTC staff refused to offer food even on paying its cost to such passengers.
“Now, as a policy matter, we have decided that non-optee passengers can also avail safe and quality food in the train,” a railway official said.
The Board’s circular ordered IRCTC to take all necessary measures to ensure that passengers in trains receive high-quality, hygienic food.
“Further, to avoid any inconvenience to passengers, IRCTC should ensure sale through trolleys within the regulated timings and no vending will be allowed after 2100 hrs (9 pm) or dinner service whichever is earlier,” the Board said.
