The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is all set to begin cooking meals for passengers in moving trains, a practice that was discontinued several years ago. Want to know more about it? Read on!
IRCTC To Resume Pantry Cooking Service
As the West Asia crisis has led to a supply crunch in LPG cylinders. The railway catering supplier will likely use electric induction stoves to cook food on board. As per an ET report, IRCTC is likely to cook food inside Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) pantry cars using electricity to offer catering services across 1,400 trains, serving around 1.7 million meals daily.
The ongoing Iran-US war, which has prompted the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has put the global energy supply in danger, given that 20-30% of global crude oil and natural gas travel through it.
Also Read: Why Has Indian Railways Been Ordered To Pay 10x Ticket Price To Four Passengers?
India is dependent on oil and natural gas imports from the Strait of Hormuz, and that is why authorities are bracing for the crisis with a supply crunch in LPG being dependent on oil and natural gas imports, bracing for the crisis with a supply crunch in LPG cylinders visible across the country.
IRCTC To Switch To Inductions Amid LPG Crunch
IRCTC chairman and managing director Sanjay Kumar told ET that sellers have been permitted to cook inside pantry cars, which are equipped with safety infrastructure. He also said that induction cooking has been introduced at large stations and only for premium service trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto and Vande Bharat, which operate with LHB coaches.
If reports are to be believed, around 1000 commercial cylinders are required every day to run cluster kitchens, base kitchens and other food supply facilities.
Also Read: FSSAI Sends Notice To IRCTC Over Viral Video Of Utensils Allegedly Washed Near Train Toilet
IRCTC stopped cooking full meals inside moving trains a few years ago and switched to a base kitchen model, where food is prepared at centralised kitchens and transported onto trains. The step was taken as part of boosting food safety and hygiene, reducing fire and operational risks, and ensuring greater consistency in meal quality across services.
What are your thoughts about it?
Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
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FAQs
IRCTC discontinued pantry car cooking?
Yes, IRCTC temporarily discontinued full cooking inside pantry cars several years ago to reduce fire hazards and improve hygiene, shifting instead to a base-kitchen and cloud-kitchen model where food is pre-cooked and loaded onto trains.
Have IRCTC removed no food option?
At present, there is no 'no food' option under the catering category.
Can we order food from a pantry car in a train?
Yes, you can order food directly from the pantry car, either by informing the coach attendant or directly contacting the pantry in-charge. However, options are limited and often sell out.