Railway Removes Service Charge On Food Items: Check Revised Catering Charges

The Ministry of Railways has issued an important notice and removed on-board service charges on all meals and beverages that are not pre-ordered on premium trains operated by the IRCTC such as the Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, and Vande Bharat.

However, IRCTC will apply an additional charge of ₹50 to the prices of snacks, lunches, and dinners requested by passengers and not pre-booked while booking a ticket.

The decision comes after the Indian Railways received criticism for charging a service charge for tea served on one of the premium trains.

Earlier, the IRCTC charged an extra 50 rupees when ordering food during the journey, even if it was just a ₹20 cup of tea or coffee if the passenger had not booked their meals along with their train ticket.

Passengers on premium trains who haven’t pre-booked their meals will now pay ₹20 for tea (similar to the amount paid by those who pre-booked their meals). Earlier, such non-pre-booked tea cost ₹70, including the service charge.

New Onboard Charges For Catering Services

According to an IRCTC circular, food ordered on the Vande Bharat express, Rajdhani, Shatabdi, or Duronto would not attract any additional service fee. The food prices shown below are including of GST, so there will be no additional charges.

1. Rajdhani/Duronto/Shatabdi

2. SL Duronto Trains

3. Tejas Trains

4. Vande Bharat Trains

During Late Running of all Pre-paid Trains

The Ministry of Railways also said that electronic invoice will be generated clearly refelating the tax details and Seat No, PNR No, Mobile No and also provide prior information regarding menu and onboard charges.

Indian Railways also advised IRCTC to charge accordingly.