Indian Railways: Meals on wheels; no homogeneity, and that’s a good thing

There has been an attitudinal shift when it comes to food and service on trains

Trains and railway stations are remarkable in how they accommodate the varying tastes of travellers. There is no homogeneity like the kind we find in airline food. For the adventurous foodie, that’s a good thing.

AS A regular train traveller, my palate has been put to test on many occasions over the years. From north to south, east to west, train food changes, keeping in view the food preferences of travellers. It’s also determined by who operates the sector. Trains and railway stations are remarkable in how they accommodate the varying tastes of travellers. There is no homogeneity like the kind we find in airline food and, for the adventurous foodie, that’s a good thing. If at Mathura railway station, you can find the famed peda, in Agra it’s petha and in Kota it’s kachori.

When you travel from the north to south, platform calls change from ‘chai’ to ‘kaafi’ (coffee). It is ‘incredible gastronomic’ India as we know it. What one can say unambiguously—bypassing the contentious ‘acche din’ debate—is that food on trains under Suresh Prabhu has improved and it’s something one must give the minister credit for. In fact, I would go a step further and say that not only food, but service has improved as well.

Considering that lakhs of travellers with diverse palates, age groups and budgets depend on railway stations and trains for their food, this is no mean feat. To be sure, there is ample competition. On a recent journey to Jaipur on the Shatabdi, which is known for its superior service and food, I was surprised to see some travellers ordering food through an online service called ‘Rail Rider’. The principle is simple: enter your train number or PNR and place an order. The food is delivered right at your seat when the train makes the designated stop. It led to quite a bit of excitement when the food was delivered. However, it was short-lived, as when the train food arrived, it was just as interesting and tasty. The interesting takeaway here was that train food can now compete with restaurant-delivery fare.

On another journey—one of the longer ones this year—from New Delhi to Kerala, it was again interesting to see how food changed as we crossed over from the capital to the heart of India, on to Mangalore and then Kerala. The most notable change was in the first meal of the day. The ‘railway cutlet’, a simple potato preparation so unique and typical of Indian trains that it must be declared a heritage food, made way for vadas and idlis. Interestingly, long train hauls have their own travelling kitchens and, if you travel in first-class AC, you can request for items outside the menu as well.

Clearly, there has been an attitudinal shift when it comes to service on the train. No longer are trays slapped in front of you. In fact, one can now actually engage with the staff. In different regions, staff uniforms change too. First-class AC makes the most effort in this department—order-takers even wear traditional turbans and welcome you with a rose. I saw this attention to service a few years ago onboard the Amritsar Shatabdi. Considered the ‘NRI train’ at that time, it came with service one could only find onboard a plane—think hostesses and full-gloved service. The railways are vast and it takes time and political will for best practices to filter through, but I can see signs of change on other trains and across classes. The scene is still not quite ‘Palace on Wheels’ yet, but there has been good progress. For rail enthusiasts like me that’s enough to keep us riding along on the acche din track.

Advaita Kala is a writer, most recently of the film Kahaani. She is also a former hotelier having worked in restaurants in India and abroad