<p align="justify">Catering services in all trains with pantry cars will be handed over to IRCTC by the year-end in order to improve onboard food quality, according to Railways.<br /><br />Besides passengers in seven Rajdhani and six Shatabdi trains will have an option for e-catering facility.<br /><br />IRCTC will be given responsibility of managing catering services in all trains with pantry cars be December end, Railway Board Member (Traffic) Mohd Jamshed said here today.<br /><br />Till now, the zonal railways were managing catering services in majority trains as per the catering policy 2010.<br /><br />There are about 350 trains including Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto which are equipped with pantry cars.<br /><br />With a view to improve catering services at rail premises, Railways will also conduct third party audit at pantry cars, base kitchens and food stalls to ensure best practice.<br /><br />"We have hired two reputed companies to do the third party audits at food stalls and pantry cars," Jamshed said.</p>.<p align="justify"><br />Railways has also undertaken a three-week drive to inspect food quality and hygienic condition at base kitchens.<br /><br />The Railways formulated catering policy in 2005 and according to the policy, IRCTC, the tourism and catering wing of the Railways, was given catering responsibility for all trains.<br /><br />In 2010, the then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the policy in which catering responsibility was taken away from the IRCTC and zonal railways were asked to look food services.<br /><br />However, since complaints against food quality were increasing constantly, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu decided to go for a new catering policy aiming to improve food services at rail premises.</p>.<p align="justify"><br />The new catering policy was announced in February under which IRCTC was given catering responsibility with stringent guidelines.<br /><br />The new policy envisages separation of cooking and distribution of food.</p>.<p align="justify"><br />Jamshed said now options have been given to passengers in a few Shatabdi, Rajdhani and Duronto trains to opt out of the catering services while booking tickets.</p>.<p align="justify"><br />Catering services are mandatory in premier services like Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains and the catering cost is included in the ticket.<br /><br />Seeking to explore the possibility of making mandatory catering services optional on trains, Railways had earlier announced in June last year to undertake the scheme on Nizamuddin-Mumbai August Kranti Rajdhani Express and Pune- Secunderabad Shatabdi Express.</p>.<p align="justify"><br />Passengers have to specifically opt out from the mandatory food option and catering charges will be excluded from the ticket fare.<br /><br />Catering charges ranging from Rs 175 to Rs 340 will be deducted from the total fare if the passenger opts out from the mandatory food options.</p>
<p align="justify">Catering services in all trains with pantry cars will be handed over to IRCTC by the year-end in order to improve onboard food quality, according to Railways.<br /><br />Besides passengers in seven Rajdhani and six Shatabdi trains will have an option for e-catering facility.<br /><br />IRCTC will be given responsibility of managing catering services in all trains with pantry cars be December end, Railway Board Member (Traffic) Mohd Jamshed said here today.<br /><br />Till now, the zonal railways were managing catering services in majority trains as per the catering policy 2010.<br /><br />There are about 350 trains including Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto which are equipped with pantry cars.<br /><br />With a view to improve catering services at rail premises, Railways will also conduct third party audit at pantry cars, base kitchens and food stalls to ensure best practice.<br /><br />"We have hired two reputed companies to do the third party audits at food stalls and pantry cars," Jamshed said.</p>.<p align="justify"><br />Railways has also undertaken a three-week drive to inspect food quality and hygienic condition at base kitchens.<br /><br />The Railways formulated catering policy in 2005 and according to the policy, IRCTC, the tourism and catering wing of the Railways, was given catering responsibility for all trains.<br /><br />In 2010, the then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the policy in which catering responsibility was taken away from the IRCTC and zonal railways were asked to look food services.<br /><br />However, since complaints against food quality were increasing constantly, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu decided to go for a new catering policy aiming to improve food services at rail premises.</p>.<p align="justify"><br />The new catering policy was announced in February under which IRCTC was given catering responsibility with stringent guidelines.<br /><br />The new policy envisages separation of cooking and distribution of food.</p>.<p align="justify"><br />Jamshed said now options have been given to passengers in a few Shatabdi, Rajdhani and Duronto trains to opt out of the catering services while booking tickets.</p>.<p align="justify"><br />Catering services are mandatory in premier services like Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains and the catering cost is included in the ticket.<br /><br />Seeking to explore the possibility of making mandatory catering services optional on trains, Railways had earlier announced in June last year to undertake the scheme on Nizamuddin-Mumbai August Kranti Rajdhani Express and Pune- Secunderabad Shatabdi Express.</p>.<p align="justify"><br />Passengers have to specifically opt out from the mandatory food option and catering charges will be excluded from the ticket fare.<br /><br />Catering charges ranging from Rs 175 to Rs 340 will be deducted from the total fare if the passenger opts out from the mandatory food options.</p>