Soon you may have more choice, better food on trains

Unhappy with the food served on trains, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has decided to bring in new caterers and award contracts with fresh terms and conditions in the next three months. To break the present cartel of a handful of catering vendors who have been controlling food supply to over 302 long-distance trains for decades, the new contract conditions will limit the number of trains one catering company can serve. The new standard bidding documents will include an enhanced licence fee and revised tariff. As a result, the food on Rajdhanis, Shatabdis and Durontos may see a drastic change next year. In a letter to all 17 zonal railways this week, Bansal directed the general managers to conduct ‘Passenger Opinion Surveys’ and “personally monitor” the award of contracts. “Immediate action must be initiated so as to ensure supply of good quality and hygienic food,” Bansal wrote. “I expect that you shall personally monitor the award of contracts and setting up of mechanised and modern base kitchens… including service through trolleys.” The Railway Minister also directed a new menu, with more variety, for food served at stations by catering vendors, known in the Railways as “static units”. “It is noticed that despite the issue of instructions of allotment/renewal of such units, there has been no progress,” he wrote. Officials said that food complaints figured high during every inspection made by the minister anywhere in the country. There have been written complaints about taste, hygiene and even quantity of the food served. One of the problems has been that the prices of the food served on trains has not been revised for a decade. That is set to change. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/soon-you-may-have-more-choice-better-food-on-trains/1048819/0

Food on trains will cost more

Food on trains and railway stations will finally be costlier. Prices have gone up by between 50 and 100 per cent for all meals, tea and coffee sold by licenced vendors. The new prices will be effective immediately.

The price of food served on the Rajdhanis and Shatabdis, which is included in the price of the ticket, will be raised next year when fares are likely to go up, and new catering contracts are awarded.

Rail Neer, the packaged drinking water sold on trains and stations, became costlier earlier this month.

The Indian Express reported the impending increase in the price of food on trains and stations on November 2 and December 8. Prices had remained unchanged for nearly a decade, and vendors have repeatedly pleaded that business was not sustainable at 2003 prices. Quality and quantity have suffered, leading to frequent complaints.

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal identified financial reform in the Railways as his priority almost as soon as he took charge. Passenger fares are expected to be next.

A service tax of 8.66 per cent has been built into the new prices, and the ministry has directed all zonal railways to display the rates prominently inside coaches. It is now mandatory to serve seasonal vegetables, which are fresh and cheaper to procure. “We have also directed in the new order that the menu should not be same for lunch and dinner and should be rotated through the days of the week,” a senior official said.

Meals and breakfast, tea and coffee, and other items served on mail and express trains will cost between 50 per cent and 90 per cent more.

Tea and coffee will cost Rs 5 and Rs 7 per cup respectively, up from Rs 3 and Rs 4 now. Breakfast will cost Rs 30, up from Rs 17 now. The price of the frugal Janta meal, now Rs 10, has gone up 100 per cent.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/food-on-trains-stations-to-cost-50100-per-cent-more/1050772/0

Travelkhana: meals on wheels

Travelkhana.com is a Service for transforming the experience of the Railway Passenger

About 6 billion passengers travel in Indian Railways each year. If anyone of us has traveled they will vouch for the fact that currently the availability of quality food in Indian Trains is something not to be excited about. Travelkhana solves this very problem for the railway passenger.
It offers a variety of choices to a Railway passenger so that the passengers can order food as per their liking and at their price point while they are travelling. The Travelkhana automated platform tracks trains in real time across India and ensures that fresh food is delivered to the passenger as per their choice in real time. It also helps vendors and restaurants in terms of effective and efficient fulfillment. Additionally it completes an entire fulfillment cycle right from the point of ordering to Delivery, Customer feedback and Reconciliation. What is most exciting is that Railway passengers are served fresh food thanks to the patented technology behind Travelkhana.
The TravelKhaana platform ensures that the delivery is made in real time. Travelkhana ensures that the entire lifecycle of an order fulfillment is completed by the Travelkhana patented platform. Travelkhana tracks the train in real time and makes sure that fresh food is made available to the passenger through its vast variety of restaurants on the Indian Railway network. Travelkhana currently operates in 40 cities and rapidly expanding across the Railway network.