Cooked food back on all trains, Tejas gets back on tracks

Tejas Express will now operate on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. File pic

AMID relaxations in Covid-19 restrictions, the IRCTC on Friday announced that it was resuming catering services with cooked food onboard trains. The Railways is also restoring the Tejas Express train services between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

"The restoration of cooked food has been done as per guidelines received from the Railway Board. Cooked food was back on premium trains in December and the service restarted on almost 80 per cent of the trains by January, and the remaining 20 per cent shall be restored by February 14, 2022. Ready-to-eat meals would also continue," said a spokesperson of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation.

Catering services were suspended on March 23, 2020, as a safety measure in view of the pandemic. With a decline in Covid-19 positivity rate in the country, the railways started ready-to-eat meals on August 5, 2020.

Tejas train back on tracks

IRCTC's western zone also announced that Tejas Express train services on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Ahmedabad (82901/02) were restored from February 11, with strict Covid-19 safety protocols. "The strict implementation of the Covid-19 safety protocols has generated a huge amount of passenger confidence, which was seen during Diwali festival as well as the post-festive season. Moreover, with the wedding season picking up, it is felt that the train will witness a progressive increase in occupancy levels. Passengers have been regularly choosing Tejas Express over other trains due to the high levels of service standards as well as maintenance of the best hygiene practices," a spokesperson said.