Kochi: Want to have pizza or Chinese food delivered during train journeys at stations in the Thiruvananthapuram division? Major multinational fast food outlets such as Dominos Pizza and Chicking are now queuing up for vendorship after the e-catering initiative of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) turned out to be a hit among the commuters.
What started as a humble service in Ernakulam South Junction in the division by tying up with women self-help group ‘Kudumbashree’ five months back is now available in all major stations except three in the Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad and Salem divisions of the Southern Railway. Under the e-catering project, passengers can pre-order the food of their choice for delivery at opted stations while booking tickets through IRCTC.
The e-catering facility can be availed of either online at www.ecatering.irctc.co.in or through an SMS to 139 by giving details of their PNR and seat number. “The service is now available in all A-1 and A class stations in the division. Even at small stations like Karunagapally, we have given vendorship to Chicking. In Ernakulam, a total of six fast food outlets, including the likes of ‘Dominos Pizza’ and Five Star Fast Food have been given vendorship,” a senior IRCTC official said.
Besides the local cuisines delivered by ‘Cafe Kudumbashree,’ passengers can now pre-order North Indian and even Chinese food while booking the tickets through the IRCTC website. “A key station remaining in the division is Kayamkulam Junction. We’re in talks with the applicants and hope to start the service there too. We also aim to extend the service of ‘Kudumbashree’ to all these stations and talks will be held with the new project director soon. Currently, their service is available only at Ernakulam South and Ernakulam Town railway stations,” the official said.
