Indian Railways To Provide Free Meals And Refunds For Delayed Trains

With the winter setting in and train delays becoming routine due to the dense fog and visibility reduction causing disruptions, the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has planned to start special services for all those travelling by premium trains, such as Shatabdi, Rajdhani, and Duronto Express, to ensure that the railway passengers are not inconvenienced.

Indian Railways To Provide Free Meals And Refunds For Delayed Trains

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In fact, as per the IRCTC catering policy, passengers in these trains who witness delays in their trains by two hours or more from the arrival time will be entitled to free meals onboard. As per the catering policy, these meal options range according to the time of the day and thus gives a variety of meal options that passengers can expect. Here are the preparations that passengers might be looking forward to:

1) Tea/coffee service: To begin the journey, a comforting cup of tea, or coffee, together with biscuits, is provided to the passengers. All the tea/coffee service kits are coupled with sugar/sugar-free sachets together with milk creamer so it meets everyone's preferences.

2) Breakfast or evening tea: Passengers will find a simple yet satisfactory breakfast or evening tea available. The set comprises four slices of bread (either white or brown), butter, 200ml fruit drink, and a cup of tea or coffee. This invigorating little meal ensures that the passengers have something to set them up for their day or refresh them in the twilight hours.

3) Lunch or dinner: Having an emphasis on healthy balanced meals, IRCTC offers a number of lunch and dinner choices. Some of the popular rice based meals are with chole (gramme), rajma, or yellow dal. Every meal comes with a pickle sachet to spice up the meal. Alternatively, seven pooris with pickle sachets, mixed vegetables, salt, and pepper can also be savoured by the travelers, thus adding much more options for all different tastes.

Refund For Long Delays

Indian Railways offers a customer friendly refund policy in such significant delays. In case when the train is late by just above three hours or is diverted, passengers of the specific trains are entitled to a complete refund from cancelling their tickets. All the affected Passengers can cancel their tickets through the original channel of booking for claiming the refund. In case of traveling with the tickets purchased via a railway counter, the cancellation must be done personally to get the refund through cash.

Other Facilities Available For Passengers

Indian Railways have many other advantages to their passengers, apart from meals and refunds. Besides serving delicious food and having a facility for refunds, Indian Railways has come up with unique features to keep the unfortunate passengers comfortable in case of any delays. Waiting rooms would be available to them free of cost, so that while waiting for their trains, they can have a comfortable ambiance. Food stalls at railway stations will remain on open house for long extended hours especially for the late-night travelers. Moreover, additional staff from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) will be deployed on various passenger routes for safety.