Now, your meal on train is just a few clicks away

The IRCTC has introduced the “Book-a-Meal” project on the two trains on a pilot basis. The online procedure for this is user-friendly and all that the passengers have to do is to confirm their e-ticket reservation and then follow the link to book-a-meal.

Once booked, cancellation or modification of the meal is not permitted. The payment for the food is not taken online but on completion of meal delivery in the train by the pantry car staff.

The menu available in the trains will also be displayed online. Menu is different on both  trains and range from standard breakfast, lunch and dinner to vegetarian and non-vegetarian items, IRCTC sources say. Passengers will have to carry the print out of “My Order” page of  “Book-a-Meal” link along with the e-ticket, for the aid of the pantry car attendant.

The IRCTC, nominated recently for the prestigious ICWAI national award of excellence in cost management-2009 in the public service sector (medium category), has said once the pilot project is successful, the services will be extended to other trains.

To book-a-meal, log on to IRCTC website: www.irctc.co.in. The users have to “select meal,” then “select the day of the meal.” They can view the menu by clicking on “view the menu” for a particular service. Once the menu appears, they can choose “item and quantity” in “My Order.”

The final list will show the items, the quantity selected and the price of the order.
Passengers are then informed that the meal once booked cannot be modified further or cannot be cancelled. The order can be cancelled by clicking on “cancel my order.” A click on “book my order” will confirm the order.