: If you are planning to travel by the Patna Rajdhani Express on or after June 15, you can shun the usual train catering to opt for local delicacies such as littichokha or matar kachori , while those travelling by the Mumbai Rajdhani Express can savour some pao bhaji or poha .
The Railway Ministry is going to conduct a 45-day trial run for making mandatory catering services optional on trains, beginning from June 15, in two Shatabdis and two Rajdhanis under the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The other two trains to be covered in the trial run are the Pune-Secunderabad Shatabdi Express and the Howrah-Puri Shatabdi Express.
The exercise will be conducted to ascertain the cuisine choices of passengers and to provide them with local food choices, an IRCTC spokesperson said.
During the trial, catering services will be included by default.
Passengers have to ‘opt out’ from the mandatory food option, and catering charges will be excluded from the ticket fares. Also, passengers will not be allowed to change their options after they have booked their tickets, the spokesperson said.
“Such a measure will not inconvenience passengers in any manner as the catering will be made optional. On the contrary, it will offer expanded cuisine choices to them,” said Dr. A. K. Manocha, CMD, IRCTC.
Based on the feedback from passengers, the Railway Ministry will consider introducing such a facility in other trains, the spokesperson said.
The trial run will
be undertaken to ascertain the cuisine choices
of passengers
