IRCTC Launches Meal Trials on 7 Routes; 16.5 Lakh Daily Meals Served Across Rail Network
New Delhi, 12th December 2025: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC), a Navaratna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, has initiated meal trials on select trains as part of efforts to upgrade onboard catering services. IRCTC currently serves approximately 16.50 lakh meals per day across Indian Railways.
According to the corporation, the trials aim to bring a “paradigm shift” in meal quality and introduce perceptible improvements in kitchen infrastructure, production processes, meal transfer, and onboard service. As part of the initiative, IRCTC is conducting a Proof of Concept (PoC) to de-link meal production from meal service, enabling branded F&B providers—including industrial kitchens, restaurant chains and flight caterers—to supply fresh and hygienic meals.
The PoC is being implemented on newly introduced Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat trains across various zones. The trains selected for the trials include:
20101/20102 Nagpur–Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express – Haldiram’s (Nagpur) and Elior (Secunderabad)
14047/14048 Delhi–Sitamarhi Amrit Bharat Express – Touch Stone Foundation (Delhi)
20633/20634 Kasargod–Trivandrum – Casino Air Caterers & Flight Services (CAFS)
20631/20632 Mangalore–Trivandrum Vande Bharat (commencing 16 December 2025) – CAFS
26901/26902 Ahmedabad–Veraval Vande Bharat Express – CAFS Kitchen (Gandhinagar) and Safal Foodies (Rajkot)
26401/02 and 26403/04 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Srinagar Vande Bharat – Vaishno Devi Sarovar Portico (Katra and Srinagar)
15567/15568 Bapudham Motihari–Anand Vihar Amrit Bharat Express – ISKON, Dwarka
The trials provide passengers with expanded menu options, including regional dishes, across these routes. IRCTC stated that initial passenger feedback has been positive. Insights from the PoC will be reviewed for potential enhancement and wider rollout of catering services.
