Step up from sandwiches and thalis; now order pizzas and burgers on trains

Indian Railways website would soon allow passengers to be able to order burgers and pizzas of their choice, which is a step up from the normal sandwiches and thalis.

The burgers and pizzas would be delivered right to the passengers’ coaches, while for last-minute purchases, there would be vendor boys waiting on platforms with ready-to-serve burgers and pizzas.

In order to tap the segment of train passengers, leading quick service restaurants (QSR) such as Domino's Pizza, Burger King, Subway, KFC and Pizza Hut are opening up their stores at railway stations, from where it would be easy to deliver their services to the 23 million passengers who travel via 12,000 trains every day.

Bids have been called from food services companies for setting up food courts at Indian stations. "With the rapid growth of passenger traffic and growing disposable income, brands cannot choose to ignore this segment for too long," said Gaurav Dewan, COO of Travel Food Services, one of the bidders.

The food courts set up on these railway stations would keep both international and national brands, so that passengers have more options.

Some of these fast-food chains have gone a step ahead and made special menus for these railway stations. For example, Domino's has developed a gas-fired oven so that it can work without electricity; it would be able to make pizzas in three minutes without compromising on taste and texture.

Experts, however, feel that these restaurants may face major challenges in terms of pricing and timely orders.

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