Mumbai: Passengers travelling on Vande Bharat trains can now purchase food onboard, even if they did not opt for a meal while booking their ticket. In another major development, the Vande Bharat Sleeper will soon connect Nagpur with Pune and Mumbai, confirmed DRM, Nagpur, Vinayak Garg.
The board announced freshly cooked meals alongside customised RTE options after passenger complaints about food denial. IRCTC was urged to ensure high-quality, hygienic food service on trains.
“In order to provide options, choice of services and adequate catering facilities to current booking & non-opted passengers in Vande Bharat trains, sale and service of food items in Vande Bharat trains may be resumed by the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation),” the Railway Board said in a circular addressed to the Chairman and Managing Director of IRCTC, PTI reports.
It added, “For current booking and non-opted passengers, the option of cooked meal may also be resumed (if available) which would be in addition to customised Ready to Eat (RTE) meal option.”
In a major development for rail travel in Maharashtra, Vande Bharat Sleeper, a semi-high-speed superfast train service will soon link Nagpur to Pune and Mumbai.
Usually, super-fast trains take 11 to 12 hours to cover the Nagpur- Mumbai journey. Vande Bharaat expected to transform travel by cutting travel time to 10 hours between Nagpur and Mumbai and just three hours between Nagpur and Pune.
The Nagpur-Mumbai route has only two trains, Vidarbha Express (Gondia-Mumbai) and Sevagram Express (Nagpur-Mumbai), resulting in longer wait times for passengers.
Vinayak Garg, DRM of the Nagpur division, Central Railway, confirmed the development, highlighting Nagpur’s critical role in the national railway network. “Nagpur is a key junction with over 125 trains operating daily. The Vande Bharat Sleeper train service will further enhance connectivity and convenience for passengers,” he stated, adding that the service is expected to be launched soon, ANI reports.
High-speed Vande Bharat Sleeper trains will meet rising demand on the Nagpur-Pune and Nagpur-Mumbai routes, offering faster, safer, and more efficient travel, reducing reliance on less comfortable road transport.
