Order at Convenience

Come Diwali, order your meal from the comfort of your train berth.

Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) plans to launch a service under which passengers can book their meals through a text message. The ordered food would be delivered at a select station of the passenger’s choice.

IRCTC chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) A.K. Manocha conducted a meeting on Thursday in which it has been decided that the service would be extended to all important stations, including a few of East Central Railway (ECR).

A senior official of the IRCTC headquarters in New Delhi, present in the meeting, told The Telegraph: “Earlier, this service was just for three trains on the Amritsar-Delhi section. However, in a meeting yesterday (Thursday), it was decided that the service would be available at all important stations, including a few stations in Bihar.”

Sharing more about e-catering service, the official said: “Passengers will just have to type MEAL followed by their PNR number and send it to the number provided by Indian Railways. Once the SMS is received, the PNR number would be verified. Thereafter, the menu details would be messaged back to the passenger. Food would be served at the desired destination within two hours of placing the order. If the train is delayed, the order can be revised.”

In the ECR section, this service would be available at Patna, Hajipur, Muzaffarpur and Samastipur railway stations. The passengers can either send SMS to 139 or can call up the toll-free number 18001034139 to book the meal.