IRCTC has joined with popular restaurant chain Pind Balluchi and The Landmark Hotel to serve tasty food to its passengers onboard the Vande Bharat Express or Train 18. The train that will run between Delhi and Varanasi is predictable to offer delectable meals from these restaurants from February 15.
"The menu is in the last stages of being finalized and that the food served to passenger will be from the known restaurant in Allahabad (Prayagraj) and Kanpur. We are looking to tie-up with known restaurant and brands so that the finest knowledge can be offered to passengers of the Vande Bharat Express," said an IRCTC official.
According to the official, "The lunch for Vande Bharat Express will be laden at the Allahabad (Prayagraj) station. This is from Pind Balluchi. The dinner on the go back journey will be laden from Kanpur station and is predictable to be from a restaurant in the city's famous Landmark Hotel. However, the talks for this catering agreement are in the final stages, but a tie-up is likely soon". The official added "For breakfast, IRCTC is working on a mix of 3-4 food items such as vegetable cutlet, omelet, a special type of bread, quiche and doughnuts or lemon tarts. There is no doubt that the menu on Vande Bharat Express will be a more payment and pleasant one than on trains like Gatimaan Express".
Passengers aboard the Vande Bharat Express will not be able to opt out of meals, except for those traveling between Allahabad (Prayagraj) and Varanasi. The fares of Train 18 or Vande Bharat Express are comprehensive of the catering charges. The fare for the administrative chair car of Vande Bharat Express has been kept at Rs 3,520 for Delhi to Varanasi trip, while it will be Rs 3,470 for the return trip due to the dissimilarity in catering cost. The chair car passengers will have to shell out Rs 1,850 and Rs 1,795 for Delhi to Varanasi and Varanasi to Delhi respectively.
As part of the above mention fares, passengers in the administrative chair car will pay Rs 399 for the meals (breakfast with morning tea, lunch) from Delhi to Varanasi, while those in the chair car will pay Rs 344. On the return journey, people in the executive chair car will shell out Rs 349 for the food (evening tea with snacks, dinner), and those in the chair car will pay Rs 288.
Vande Bharat Express will be flag off by PM Narendra Modi on February 15 from New Delhi. On its regular run (not inaugural), Train 18 will depart from Delhi at 6:00 am to reach Varanasi at 2:00 pm, with stops at Kanpur and Allahabad (Prayagraj) at 10:20 am and 12:25 pm respectively. For the return journey the same day, Vande Bharat Express will leave Varanasi at 3:00 pm to reach Delhi at 11:00 pm, with stops at Allahabad (Prayagraj) at 4:35 pm and at Kanpur at 6:30 pm.
