Food / Service on Shatabdi Trains
1) For a start one would have observed that a 1 ltr bottle of water is first supplied to all passengers, this should be changed to giving out smaller 200 ml bottles which could be replenished if requested for by the passenger.Most times the unused/partly used bottles are left behind at the end of the journey.
2) Of late I find that only one brand of news paper is being provided, whereas earlier there was a choice of 3 or 4 news papers. Pl reintroduce this option, so that passengers can exchange reading material if required.
3) Quality of food being supplied has deteriorated instead of improving.This needs to be looked into and corrected. Many a time the items served are not eatable especially dried chapatis .
4) The mess created by the servers in the pantry area needs to be stopped and instructions given on how to ensure that the coach is kept clean. TTE's should be asked to keep a check on this aspect and warn delinquent contractors /impose fines.
5) Instead of the servers constantly walking about serving the passengers, design a small trolley for food trays which can move along the aisle , so that serving can be done in a simple manner as in aircrafts.
6) Cleanliness in the Pantry area needs to be enforced and frequent checks by railway staff / TTE's should be carried out with warnings issued to the errant contractors, who should be finned and contracts cancelled in case of repeat warnings.
7) Complaint register should be available in each coach ( prominently displayed) to record passengers complaints.
8) Introduce a system of feed back from passengers based on which the contracts of the food contractors will be renewed/cancelled.
9) Passengers should be advised not to place their empty trays/cups etc below their seats and instead take the trouble to hand over the same to the food servers.
10) Lastly Toilets need to be kept clean which is the responsibility of not only the Railways but also the passengers who need to be educated.
Let us all jointly make travelling by the Indian Railways an enjoyable experience. more