New Delhi: Train journeys across the country are set to get way better, courtesy some fresh initiatives to be taken up by the Indian Railways soon. Brace yourself as facilities such as ordering burgers and pizzas of your choice and getting them delivered right to their coaches will be a reality soon.
The delight is to come through quick service restaurants (QSR), which include Domino's Pizza, KFC, Burger King, Subway and Pizza Hut. These outlets are keen to enter into this new territory by opening up stores at railway stations.
All that passengers have to do is simply visit the Indian Railways website and order their desired menu. Also, for last-minute purchases, vendors will be waiting on platforms with ready-to-serve burgers, pizzas and Indian thalis.
According to the recent data by IRCTC, the Indian Railways operates about 12,000 trains carrying 23 million passengers every day.
The QSR outlets will soon open at stations such as Howrah, Mumbai, Madurai, Agra, Pune and Visakhapatnam and expand to other cities later.
This initiative is expected to push the sales of quick service restaurants and transform the food offered on the country's rail network.
To add to this initiative, some restaurants are even changing their menus and techniques to cater to train passengers.
Some fast-food chains have also considered a special railway menu and made product innovations. Domino's Pizza has also developed a gas-fired oven that can work without electricity and dish out pizzas in three minutes without compromising on taste and texture.
Recently, IRCTC signed an agreement with the Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) for transfer of food and beverage processing technology and packaging that would upgrade its catering operations. According to the agreement, the DFRL, a defence-ministry establishment working under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), will transfer the technical knowhow and testing processes for quality assurance for IRCTC's ready-to-eat packaged food for the rail commuters.
