Branded meals on premium trains: IRCTC begins PoC trials on Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat services

IRCTC has begun testing a new way to improve the food served on premium trains, hoping to upgrade both the cooking and the overall dining experience. Under a new Proof of Concept (PoC), IRCTC has partnered with leading food and beverage operators — from industrial kitchens to well-known restaurant chains and flight caterers — to supply fresh, branded meals on select Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat routes.

The initiative represents IRCTC’s most ambitious attempt yet to modernise railway catering. With meal production separated from meal service for the first time, the corporation aims to bring professional F&B players directly into the supply chain and offer passengers restaurant-grade food at scale. Early feedback from travellers has been strongly positive, officials said.

A shift in how meals are prepared and served

Add Zee Business as a Preferred Source

IRCTC, a Navratna PSU under the Ministry of Railways, currently serves nearly 16.5 lakh meals a day across the entire Indian Railways network. But as premium trains expand rapidly, the corporation has been under pressure to offer more consistent, hygienic and diverse food options.

The new PoC is designed to overhaul the entire workflow — from kitchen infrastructure and production processes to packaging, transfer and final service on board. By roping in established F&B brands with large centralised kitchens, IRCTC hopes to deliver fresher, higher-quality meals that meet the expectations of premium travellers.

Where the PoC has begun: list of trains and partner brands

Meal trials have commenced on several major routes across different railway zones. Under the PoC, each train is tied to a reputed kitchen partner capable of handling high-volume, high-consistency production.

Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat services under the trial include:

Nagpur–Secunderabad Vande Bharat (20101/20102):
Haldiram’s (Nagpur) and Elior (Secunderabad)

Delhi–Sitamarhi Amrit Bharat (14047/14048):
Touch Stone Foundation (Delhi)

Kasargod–Trivandrum Vande Bharat (20633/20634) and Mangalore–Trivandrum Vande Bharat (20631/20632)
Casino Air Caterers & Flight Services (CAFS)

Ahmedabad–Veraval Vande Bharat (26901/26902):
CAFS Kitchen (Gandhinagar) and Safal Foodies (Rajkot)

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Srinagar Vande Bharat (26401/02 & 26403/04):
Vaishno Devi Sarovar Portico (Katra & Srinagar)

Bapudham Motihari–Anand Vihar Amrit Bharat (15567/15568):
ISKON, Dwarka

What passengers can expect on board?

Travellers on these select routes are already being offered diverse, restaurant-quality menus, including regional specialities from each originating city. IRCTC officials say the aim is to make a “perceptible improvement” in both quality and hygiene, with freshly cooked food replacing older centralised models and lower-grade packaged meals.
Passengers who have sampled the new meals during the early trial phase have responded favourably, citing improvements in taste, freshness and variety.