It is the catering as well as tourism arm of the Indian Railways. IRCTC is in the news today as it plans to restart its e-catering service for the passengers traveling in the currently operating special trains.
The E-Catering Service:-
The E-catering service was started by IRCTC in 2014. Under this service, passengers can order food of their choice from reputed brands as well as popular regional and local delicacies. The order can be placed while traveling in the train through phone or online and the order gets delivered to the seat at the railway station.
The e-catering service which was suspended in the light of pandemic on 22nd March 2020, clocked 20000 e-catering orders per day.
Amid the new normal as well as slow and gradual opening up of economy and passenger train services, there has been an increased in demand to resume the E-catering services. Currently, only ‘Ready To Eat’ meals are served to passengers on train.
Starting The E-Catering Service In A Phase Wise Manner:-
From February, IRCTC is starting the e-catering service in a phase wise manner, which shall resume over a network of 30 railway stations. Doing this shall cover almost 250 trains.
While serving the meals to the passengers, proper protocols related to health and hygiene are being ensured by IRCTC through its E-catering partners.
To avail the E-Catering services, passengers should visit www.ecatering.irctc.com. Telephonic orders, placed over 1323 shall also be resumed shortly.
IRCTC’s e-catering app “Food On Track” can also be downloaded and used by passengers to avail E-Catering Services. For the sake of convenience, cash on delivery option is also provided.
