In a relief for people travelling long distances, the Railways is set to resume serving cooked meals on trains, a service which was discontinued in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The order from the Railway Board issued on Friday comes amid the resumption of regular services by the national transporter earlier this month.
The Railway Board, in a letter to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, has asked for the resumption of the service. It also said that ready-to-eat meals will continue to be served to passengers.
“In view of the restoration of normal train services, requirements of travelling passengers and easing of Covid lockdown restrictions in eateries, restaurants, hotels and such other places across the country, it has been decided by the ministry of railways to resume the services of cooked food in trains. Service of ready-to-eat meals will also continue.” Sources said decisions for other services such as fixing curtains in AC coaches are likely to be taken in the next 15-20 days, sources said.
The Ministry of Railways had said on November 12 that all the regular timetabled trains that are currently operating as Mail or Express Special (MSPC) and Holiday Special (HSP) train services, included in the working timetable 2021, shall be operated with regular numbers and with fare and categorisations as applicable.
Notably, the Ministry of Civil Aviation also recently allowed all airlines to resume in-flight meal services on all domestic routes. The decisions come as the number of daily coronavirus cases reported in India has consistently been less than 20,000 over the past few days.
