Guwahati: he Indian Railways has decided to resume cooked food services that had been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a letter to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Railway Board on Friday (November 19) said, “In view of the restoration of normal train services, requirements of travelling passengers and easing of Covid lockdown restrictions in eateries, restaurants, hotels and such other places across the country, it has been decided by the Ministry of Railways to resume the services of cooked food in trains. Service of ready to eat meals would also continue.”
Last week, the Indian Railways had also issued an order to discontinue the ‘special’ tag for mail and express trains and revert to pre-pandemic ticket prices with immediate effect.
Recently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has also allowed airlines to serve meals on all domestic flights.
Both the decisions come as India’s coronavirus scenario remains under control with average daily cases hovering around 10,000-15,000 since the past few days.
Earlier this month, the Railways had announced the running of normal trains, withdrawing the special tag which had been in place for the pandemic.
In the letter to zonal railways, the Railways said trains will now be operated with their regular numbers and fares will revert to normal pre-Covid prices.
With the operation of special trains and no concessions, the Railways’ revenue has seen a substantial growth. It registered an increase of 113% in earnings from the passenger segment during the second quarter of 2021-2022 as compared to the first.
