Aimed at bringing the passenger experience at stations at par with airports, the first such outlets are likely to open in 2026
Anticipating higher sales potential than airports, major global and Indian food chains are now approaching the Indian Railways to get details on opening premium food and beverage outlets at railway stations, as per media reports.
The reports noted that the development comes after the Centre notified last month that it would allow established chains such as KFC, Haldiram’s Wow Momo and others to open their outlets at railway stations.
Aimed at bringing the passenger experience at stations at par with airports, the first such outlets are likely to open in 2026. The Centre amended the Catering Policy 2017 of the national transporter to include premium brand catering outlets. The reports pointed out that while airports offer high order values, railways outperform them when it comes to scale.
Centre notified that it would hold e-auctions to allocate five-year licenses to restaurant chains at over 7,000 stations across the country. The reports highlighted that these chains can open company-owned or franchise stores. The move will also supplement railway’s push to increase non-fare revenue, which currently sits at around 3 per cent of its total income, the reports mentioned.
Earlier, in a similar move towards consumer welfare, the ministry of railways decided to reduce the prices of rail neer water bottles, aimed at passing on the benefits of the goods and services tax (GST) rate cuts. The ministry noted in a notification that the maximum retail price (MRP) of packaged drinking water bottle have been revised from Rs 15 to Rs 14 per bottle of one litre. The prices of 500 ml capacity bottles has been reduced to Rs 9 from Rs 10.
