Passengers of selected Indian trains will now have the comfort of getting their meals delivered to their seats. This is only made possible because of the partnership between the food delivery platform Swiggy and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). This journey will make the overall experience of the travelers more pleasing and will further stir up the competition in the online food delivery market.
On Tuesday the two parties outlined a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with an agreement that Swiggy will leverage its network of restaurants and efficient delivery partners to deliver pre-ordered meals to passengers on their designated trains. Initially, this service was launched only for four major stations – Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Vishakhapatnam, and Vijayawada and in the coming future will expand to 59 more stations across India
The Indian Railways transports over 8 billion passengers annually and caters to the demands of these travellers IRCTC is responsible for providing catering services to the passengers and has already shared a partnership with Swiggy’s rival Zomato.
As per the reports the pre-ordered meals will be delivered to passenger’s seats via IRCTC’s existing e-catering portal and the passengers can access the service by entering their PNR number on the IRCTC app and selecting their meal delivery station.
Sanjay Kumar Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of IRCTC has expressed his enthusiasm stating “exploring new ways to make train journeys comfortable and convenient for the billions of passengers aboard the Indian railways every year.”
With the launch of the partnership, Swiggy is looking forward to positive responses from both the passengers and the restaurant operators.
IRCTC plays a crucial role in providing catering, hospitality services, drinking water, online ticketing, and travel and tourism services in the Indian Railways Network. Newer routes and further enrichment to this collaboration will provide an enriching travel experience for millions of passengers.
IRCTC in the previous year generated a substantial revenue of ₹3,541.47 crore, with a net profit of ₹1,005.88 crore while catering 1.48 billion meals booked across 338 stations.
This partnership will not only offer passengers great convenience and choice but will also strengthen the position of IRCTC as the service provider for Indian Railways. With the potential to enrich the travel experience of the passengers, this collaboration may come forward with delicious possibilities of onboard dining on Indian trains.
