Prayagraj, 17 Sept (HS): Every day, thousands of passengers

board trains across North Central Railway with a simple expectation: a journey

that is smooth, safe, and accompanied by good food. Behind the scenes, NCR has

been quietly orchestrating a massive culinary transformation, turning standard

train travel into a far more satisfying gastronomic journey.

Curating Choice and Variety: To step away from monotonous

train food, NCR has shortlisted 99 top-tier national and international brands

for packaged food items, along with 11 trusted brands of Packaged Drinking

Water. For passengers who crave specific flavors, the railway introduced a

diverse menu of 72 A-la-Carte items—each paired with transparent pricing so

travelers get exactly what they want without any price surprises.

Quenching Thirst Safely: Pure drinking water is

non-negotiable for a good trip. NCR made Railneer mandatory across 21 key

junction stations, including major hubs like Prayagraj, Kanpur Central, Jhansi,

Gwalior, and Agra Cantt. To make clean water even more accessible and

affordable, 137 Water Vending Machines (WVMs) have been deployed across 21

stations, delivering fresh RO-purified water right on the platform.

The Vigilant Food Guardians: Good food begins with

relentless quality control. In 2025–26 alone, dedicated railway teams conducted

1,309 intensive inspections of catering stalls, mobile units, and base

kitchens. They didn't just check kitchens; they sent 1,826 food samples

straight to laboratories to test for purity, imposing strict financial

penalties whenever vendor standards fell short.

High-Level Surprise Checks: Quality assurance isn't left to

routine paperwork. During a 7-day special drive in July 2026, officers

inspected 16 prominent trains to evaluate meal taste, presentation, and staff

etiquette. This was followed by a massive 15-day drive in August 2026, where senior

headquarters and divisional officers hit the ground running—personally

inspecting base kitchens, spot-checking freshness, enforcing glove-and-mask

rules, and eliminating unsanitary food handling practices.

Tasting Success in Numbers: The real proof of this

transformation lies in passenger feedback. Thanks to these continuous,

uncompromising efforts, catering-related complaints on the Rail Madad portal

plummeted by an impressive 36% between April and August 2026 compared to the

same period the previous year.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi