Indian Railways: Affordable Food Stalls To Be Set Up At Platforms Aligned With General Coaches

Faced with criticism for non-availability of catering facilities for general coach passengers, Indian Railways has decided to serve healthy and hygienic food at affordable prices to passengers in non-AC unreserved coaches.

The food packets will be provided through extended service counters located near these coaches at platforms and the “economy meals” will be priced at Rs 20 and “snack meal” at Rs 50.

The food counters will also sell packaged water and the counters serving meals would be on platforms aligned with the general coaches.

While the “economy meal” has seven 'pooris' with dry 'aaloo' and pickle for a price of Rs 20, the “snack meal” will be an assortment of Indian food such as rice, rajma, chhole, khichdi, kulche, bhature, pao-bhaji and masala dosa.

According to the instructions issued by the Railway Board, all zones have been told to make provision of economy meals and affordable packaged drinking water at platform near general coaches of the trains.

The meals are to be supplied from the kitchen units at rail premises.

According to the instruction, the location of these service counters is to be decided by Zonal Railways, so as to align these counters with the location of general coaches on platforms.

The provision of this extended service counters at the platforms has been done on an experimental basis for a period of six months.

Currently, the extended service counters have been commissioned at 64 stations and more stations will be covered under the scheme.