IRCTC sees 25%-30% of rail passengers opting out of prepaid meals

IRCTC is scaling digital food alternatives as more passengers decline bundled train meals. eCatering volume has risen from about 1.25 lakh to more than 1.6 lakh meals a day, while e-Pantry is planned to expand from 50-plus trains to about 100 trains.

— Source published Sat, 15 Aug, 2026, 09:15 IST · First seen Sat, 15 Aug, 2026, 09:50 IST · Source NDTV Profit

What happened

IRCTC says an estimated 25%-30% of passengers are opting out of prepaid train meals, reversing its previous opt-in pattern. It is expanding eCatering and

Key facts

  • 25%-30% estimated catering opt-out rate
  • 15%-30% earlier estimated opt-out range
  • 58 crore meals served annually
  • 300-500 complaints daily
  • 18 lakh meals supplied daily
  • 0.0008% complaint ratio
  • eCatering increased from about 1.25 lakh to over 1.6 lakh meals daily
  • e-Pantry operates on over 50 trains
  • e-Pantry targeted for about 100 trains

Why this matters

The migration away from prepaid meals makes branded QSR, regional-food and last-mile logistics partnerships strategically valuable for IRCTC, particularly on high-traffic routes where digital ordering can deepen passenger spend and differentiation.

What to watch

  • eCatering daily meals sustaining above 1.6 lakh and growth in repeat-order rates.
  • e-Pantry rollout pace toward 100 trains and the share of eligible passengers served.
  • Changes in IRCTC ticketing flow that add meal opt-out, meal-credit or personalized food offers.
  • New partnerships with national QSR brands, regional restaurant chains, cloud kitchens or packaged-food companies.
  • Refund, complaint and missed-delivery rates, especially on delayed trains and smaller stations.
  • Evidence that onboard catering volumes, food waste or prepaid-meal attachment rates are declining.
  • Commission-rate changes, vendor onboarding rules or rail-policy changes affecting third-party food delivery.
  • Expand e-Pantry from 50-plus to roughly 100 trains, prioritizing long-distance and high-demand routes.
  • Add more restaurant brands, regional specialists and station-area cloud kitchens to eCatering supply.
  • Introduce stronger digital prompts in ticket booking, PNR journeys and onboard messaging to convert meal opt-outs into preorders.
  • Test unbundled fare tiers, meal vouchers and targeted prepaid-food discounts rather than universal meal inclusion.
  • Invest in live train tracking, vendor SLAs, packaging standards and automated refunds to protect delivery reliability.
  • Use order data to optimize station inventory, menu assortments and vendor placement by route, class and travel time.