Surge in complaints highlights woes of Railways' catering services, premium trains most affected

CHENNAI: Complaints about the food served on Indian Railways have surged dramatically, reflecting long-standing issues with train dining services. Reports indicate a staggering 500 percent increase in food-related complaints over the past two years.

As of March 2022, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) had received 1,192 complaints about bad food. However, the number of grievances has skyrocketed to 6,948 between April 2023 and February 2024, according to RTI documents. Notably, most complaints originate from premium trains such as the Vande Bharat, Rajdhani, Thar and Jan Shatabdi Express.

The rise in complaints has prompted Indian Railways to take action, including issuing show-cause notices to 68 catering companies. Despite this, only three contracts have been cancelled, while Indian Railways manages 1,518 catering contracts overall.

Passenger associations criticize IRCTC for lacking effective systems to monitor the quality of cooking oil and point out that the number of trains equipped with pantry cars is decreasing. The current system, where food is cooked, packed and delivered by contract companies before being served on trains, has failed to ensure satisfactory food safety standards. Passengers continue to call for greater accountability from the railways regarding food quality and safety.