New Delhi, Feb 23: : Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Navratna CPSE under the Ministry of Railways and the hospitality and tourism arm of Indian Railways, has reported strong passenger response to its recently launched e-Pantry meal booking service on Mail/Express trains with pantry cars.
Launched in April 2025 and initially piloted on the Vivek Express (Train No. 22503-04), India’s longest-distance train, the service is now operational across 25 Mail/Express trains.
To date, more than 65,000 meals have been pre-booked through the platform. Breakfast and dinner recorded over 17,000 bookings each, lunch surpassed 15,000 orders, while morning and evening tea registered over 8,000 bookings each. December 2025 marked the highest monthly uptake with 16,500 orders, led by the YPR Sampark Kranti Express (Train Nos. 12649-50/12629-30).
Integrated into the IRCTC ticketing portal (www.irctc.co.in), the e-Pantry facility allows passengers with confirmed or RAC tickets to digitally pre-order standard meals and Rail Neer. Meals are delivered directly to seats by pantry car staff using a Meal Verification Code (MVC) system to ensure accuracy and transparency.
