The food delivery system in trains has always been the same. The age-old custom of selecting your choice of food (veg/non-veg) while booking your tickets is convenient for many but the wait time is sometimes killing, especially in the case when you are really hungry.
Putting an end to this misery, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has started a new initiative under which passengers on select trains can order food via WhatsApp, The Indian Express reported. This food ordering system will be implemented in two phases.
First phase to avail e-catering services
A passenger who has booked an e-ticket will receive a message on Whatsapp with a link – http://www.ecatering.irctc.co.in. By clicking on this link, the customer will be able to opt for e-catering services. This phase allows the passenger to book the order directly from IRCTC‘s e-catering website, without having the pain to download the messaging app.
Second phase to avail e-catering services
In this phase, those who want to get the food delivered will have to WhatsApp on the number – 8750001323, and they will receive their orders wherever their berth is. However, this is a two-way street. An AI-powered chatbot will handle all e-catering service-related queries of passengers and also book meals for them, as per IE report.
Currently, around 50,000 meals are being served to passengers through IRCTC’s app and website on an everyday basis.