Kochi: Acting on passengers’ feedback, the railways have decided to suspend sale of bakery items on Vande Bharat Express for six months to tackle congestion in the train, media reports said.
The railways will monitor the decision on a pilot basis to see whether it helps in removing the problems faced by the passengers due to movement of vendors and stocking of packed articles, the reports said.
Selling a la carte articles articles like wafers, confectionery items, and cold drinks has been causing passengers grievances.
The major problem was overstocking of food items in the passage and the frequent opening of the automatic doors caused inconvenience to passengers and hampered their movement.
The railways has also directed the IRCTC not to stock a double supply of bottled water for round trips to tackle over stocking issue. Bottles will now be stocked for a single trip. In a move to remove confusion over food items available inside Vande Bharat trains, SMSes regarding catering services will be sent to passengers at the time of booking and 24 to 48 hours before a journey for reconfirmation. Those not opting for a prepaid meal will be charged ₹50 extra if they order on the train. The SMSes will inform passengers about the meals and the quantity of food. There are complaints of non vegetarian passengers getting vegetarian food, the reports said.
Meanwhile, a top official expressed ignorance over the railways decision saying that the issue came under the domain of IRCTC.
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