If you travel by train often, here’s great news for you. Now, you don’t need to carry food from home for your journey.
IRCTC has started an E-Pantry Service that lets you book your meals online in advance.
During your trip, the vendor will deliver your food directly to your seat. Earlier, this online food booking was only available on premium trains, but now it is also available on mail and express trains.
What Is E-Pantry Service?
E-Pantry is a digital meal booking service by IRCTC for passengers tired of overcharging, unauthorized sellers, and poor food quality while traveling.
This service is now available even on mail and express trains that have pantry cars.
Passengers with confirmed, RAC, or partially confirmed tickets can use this facility. Once booked, your meal will be delivered right to your seat during the journey.
How to Book Meals?
You can book meals by choosing the “E-Pantry Meal Option” while buying your train ticket on the IRCTC website.
If you forgot, you can also book later by going to the “Booked Ticket History” section. After booking, you’ll get a confirmation via SMS or email, including a Meal Verification Code (MVC).
When the food vendor comes to deliver your meal, show them the MVC code to confirm your order. You can also order Rail Neer (bottled water) through this service.
Benefits of E-Pantry Service:
Pre-book standard meals or Rail Neer easily.
Fixed prices with no overcharging.
Payments are digital, so no need to carry cash.
Only IRCTC-licensed vendors supply food.
MVC code confirms the right person receives the food.
If food isn’t delivered, you get a refund and a notification via SMS, email, or WhatsApp.
Pilot Launch and Future Plans:
Currently, this service has started on India’s longest train, the Vivek Express (22503/04). Within 60 days, it will expand to 25 more trains covering 100 racks.
After successful implementation, the E-Pantry service will be available on many more mail and express trains across India.
