Passengers of Vande Bharat trains can purchase food onboard even if they do not select any food options at the time of ticket booking, the Railway Board said on Friday.

“In order to provide options, choice of services and adequate catering facilities to current booking & non-optee passengers in Vande Bharat trains, sale and service of food items in Vande Bharat trains may be resumed by the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation),” the Railway Board said in a circular addressed to the chairman and managing director of IRCTC on Friday.

It added, “For current booking and non-optee passengers, the option of cooked meal may also be resumed (if available) which would be in addition to customised Ready to Eat (RTE) meal option.” Railway officials said a lot of passengers used to complain frequently that IRCTC staff did not offer them food even if they wanted to pay only because they had not opted for it during ticket booking.

“Often it happens that you do not select a pre-paid food option at the time of booking but circumstances arise during the journey that you want to purchase food. In such cases, the IRCTC staff refused to offer food even on paying its cost to such passengers.

“Now, as a policy matter, we have decided that non-optee passengers can also avail safe and quality food in the train,” a railway official said.

The Board’s circular urged IRCTC to take all necessary measures to ensure service of good quality hygienic food to the passengers in trains.

“Further, to avoid any inconvenience to passengers, IRCTC should ensure sale through trolleys within the regulated timings and no vending will be allowed after 2100 hrs (9 pm) or dinner service whichever is earlier,” the Board said.