The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) continues to enhance passenger convenience through its flagship e-Catering service, enabling rail travellers to order meals of their choice from authorised restaurants and well-known food brands during train journeys.
Launched as a pilot project on September 25, 2014, the e-Catering initiative initially allowed meal bookings via SMS and the IRCTC call centre. Over the years, it has evolved into a comprehensive digital platform accessible through the dedicated website (www.ecatering.irctc.co.in), the official “Food on Track” mobile application for Android and iOS, a toll-free helpline (1323), and a WhatsApp ordering facility at +91-8750001323.
Passengers can place food orders while on board and choose between online prepaid payment options or cash on delivery. Upon placing an order, confirmation details are shared with both the passenger and the vendor via SMS and email. An OTP-based delivery mechanism ensures secure, accurate and seamless seat-level delivery.
Currently, IRCTC e-Catering is operational at more than 300 railway stations nationwide, offering a wide range of cuisines including Indian, South Indian, Chinese, Continental and regional specialities such as biryanis. The service has partnered with several prominent food brands, including Domino’s, Haldiram’s, Saravana Bhavan, Faasos and Behrouz Biryani, along with leading food aggregators such as Zomato, Swiggy, Zoop, Rail Yatri, Rail Recipe and Railofy.
To cater to group travellers, IRCTC also offers a bulk and group order facility for passengers travelling in groups of 15 or more. The service provides customised menus, competitive pricing and convenient seat-level delivery, making it suitable for family trips, group tours and corporate travel.
On a pan-India basis, approximately 1.2 lakh meals are booked daily through the IRCTC e-Catering platform. The West Zone has emerged as a major contributor, accounting for nearly 35,000 meals per day. The zone currently offers e-Catering services at over 100 stations through more than 200 authorised vendors and aggregators across Central Railway, Western Railway, West Central Railway and the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) network.
IRCTC launches coordinated multi-origin tours to Dubai and Europe
Meanwhile, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched an innovative travel initiative called the Multiple Origin, Single Destination (MOSD) tour model, officials said.
The new system allows travellers from different parts of India to join the same international tour by coordinating departures through IRCTC’s regional offices.
Under the MOSD model, IRCTC has announced two major international tour packages. “The first is a Dubai tour departing on January 22, 2026 from Mumbai, covering Dubai and Abu Dhabi over five days. The second is a long-duration Europe tour planned for April and June 2026, covering major cities including Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Zurich, Innsbruck, Venice, Florence, Rome and Milan over 13 days. Around 100-200 passengers from various regions are expected to take part in these coordinated trips,” an official statement said.
