Jamshedpur: Train journeys in India are set to become more convenient and flavourful with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) introducing its e-pantry meal booking facility on 25 major Mail and Express trains across the country.
Under this digitally enabled service, passengers can pre-book meals of their choice online and have them delivered directly to their seats during the journey. The initiative will also benefit passengers travelling through Tatanagar railway station, as four key trains passing through the station have been included in the pilot rollout. These are the Puri–New Delhi–Puri Purushottam Express, Pune–Howrah–Pune Azad Hind Express, Kalinga Utkal Express, and the Tata–Sir M. Visvesvaraya Bengaluru Express.
The entire system is designed to be digital and cashless. After booking their tickets, passengers can select the e-pantry meal option from the booked ticket history on the IRCTC platform. Once a meal is booked, a confirmation SMS along with a meal verification code is sent to the passenger’s mobile phone.
On the day of travel, the food is delivered to the seat after the passenger shares the verification code with the authorised staff. All orders are monitored through a digital dashboard to ensure transparency and smooth service delivery.
The facility is meant for trains where catering is not included in the ticket fare. Passengers holding confirmed, RAC, or partially confirmed tickets can order standard meals along with Rail Neer drinking water.
Through this initiative, IRCTC aims to provide hassle-free access to quality food, reducing dependence on pantry cars or unsafe outside food vendors. Currently launched on a pilot basis on 25 select trains, the e-pantry service is expected to be expanded to more trains in the future, offering passengers a safer, more convenient, and fully cashless dining experience on board.
