Railways fines caterers ₹5.13 crore over food quality and pantry-car hygiene

Indian Railways has imposed ₹5.13 crore in penalties on catering service providers following inquiries into poor food quality and unhygienic pantry cars. The network is adding base-kitchen checks, CCTV surveillance and POS-enabled billing across onboard catering.

— Filed Thu, 6 Aug, 2026, 16:49 IST · Source Business Today · Latest · Updated

Indian Railways fined catering service providers ₹5.13 crore after investigations into poor food quality and unhygienic pantry-car complaints. It is expanding hygiene monitoring through designated base kitchens, CCTV surveillance and POS-enabled digital billing in pantry cars.

Why this matters

The penalties extend Indian Railways' recent catering enforcement focus, following its signal on ₹5.13 crore in catering penalties over three years, while broader reforms include a single nationwide licence for container train operators.

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