Indian Railways, through its catering arm, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), has joined hands with Swiggy, a popular online food delivery app, to improve the catering services for rail passengers. This collaboration is part of IRCTC’s efforts to offer high-quality and hygienic food to passengers, in line with the standards set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The partnership with Swiggy aims to expand the range of food options available to passengers under IRCTC’s E-Catering segment. As part of the initial phase, IRCTC has teamed up with Swiggy Foods for the supply and delivery of pre-ordered meals at four railway stations located in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. These stations include Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam.
In a statement, IRCTC mentioned, “IRCTC has tied up with M/s. Bundl Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Swiggy Foods) for supply & delivery of pre-ordered meals through IRCTC e-catering portal as a Proof of Concept (PoC) in the first phase at four Railway stations.” The service is expected to be available soon, offering passengers a convenient and varied selection of meals.
This collaboration with Swiggy follows IRCTC’s earlier partnership with Zomato in October 2023, where pre-ordered meals were made available at five railway stations, including New Delhi, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Varanasi. The flexibility provided to IRCTC by the Ministry of Railways allows for customization of menus to cater to the preferences of different passenger groups, including regional cuisines, seasonal specialties, and special dietary requirements such as diabetic, baby, and health food options.
Through these initiatives, IRCTC aims to enhance the overall catering services on trains, offering passengers a wider range of food choices and ensuring a more pleasant travel experience.