NEW CATERING POLICY AND

PASSENGER SATISFACTION

Boopathiraja.M
IRTS (P)-2011
 Overview

• History
• Why a passenger should be satisfied?
• Passengers’ opinion regarding ‘Railway food’
• Pitfalls of NCP
• Implementation Issues
• Some Solutions
 History
• Before 2005
• IRCTC
• New catering policy-2010
• Progress?????
 Why passenger should be satisfied?

• Successful business-satisfaction of customers

• The ability to enjoy a tasty meal on the move
is not only one of the pleasures of rail travel
but also one of its strengths which sets rail
apart from other modes
• Duty to provide clean and hygiene food
• Small things matter more sometimes
 Passenger’s opinion
Railway food
-Not edible
-Not hygienic
-Lack of cleanliness
-No taste at all
“”.

-Same menu for lunch and dinner

-Rotten breads ,watery tea and soup
-Uncooked chicken
•Uncooked rice
•Tea in rajdhani
•Staff’s improper
behaviour
•Forced tips in
rajdhaani
•Local water
bottles being sold
by pantry workers
The gooey mass that Railways serve as daal; the stretchy stuff
they call paneer and obnoxious rolls that they call chapattis– this
is somehow THE standard meal, train and money you shelled out
for it notwithstanding.

The only perceivable difference between Shatabdi and the other

“lesser mortal” trains is the presence of that quintessential watery
stuff served as “soup” and of course the mandatory “chai-pani”
which by any measure is the only attraction and saving grace in
the entire fare
 Pitfalls of NCP
• Not a single visible change
- same contractors
- old wine in a new bottle
• Base kitchens
- Logic
- Feasibility
• Absence of Complete Grievance redressal
mechanism
• Different heads
-Food Plazas,Food Courts and Fast Food Units –IRCTC
-Jan Ahar outlets & Mobile units on trains- zonal
railways
-Rajdhani/shatabdi/Duronto- Railway board

• Solid waste management

• 5 years experience as a qualification.

 Implementation issues
• Minimum reserve price
-Realistic
-Equitable
- In practice!!!!!

• Zonal Railways will conduct passenger

satisfaction surveys by means of third party
audits.
• Allotment of contracts –freedom fighters (4%)

• Zonal Railways will take corrective action for

deficiency in services for departmental and mobile
services which may include D&AR action against
the employees of departmental units and
imposition of fines on service providers as per the
terms and conditions of the agreement.

• In case of continued failure in performance,

Railways will have the right to close down any unit.
 Some solutions
• Rope in e-catering vendors.
-Travel khana
• Brand name hotels
–Not ‘comesum’.
• Dried foods instead of dals and gravy dishes.
Dishes like noodles has to be included.
• Segregated ‘catering stations’.
• Promote carry food culture.
• Arrange fruit stalls like milk stalls

• Fixing responsibility

• Award for best contractors

• Persons quoting reserve price double or more

the asked rate should give in writing -the ways
and means.

• Proper garbage mechanism – Designing

coach.
Any questions?
Thank you