Patna।
East Central Railway (ECR) has taken a significant step toward providing excellent, hygienic, and high-quality catering facilities to passengers at railway stations. Following the directives of the Railway Board, a crucial stakeholder consultation meeting was organized on June 11, 2026, at the conference hall in Mahendrughat, Patna. The primary objective of this meeting was to gather suggestions and feedback for framing the Special Conditions of Contract (SCC) for ‘Premium Brand Catering Outlets,’ aiming to make the policy formulation highly transparent and passenger-friendly.
Massive Participation: Over 40 Catering Firms Join the Consultation
The catering service sector showed tremendous enthusiasm and proactive participation in this important meeting. According to the information received, representatives from approximately 18 firms (about 25 individuals) physically attended the meeting in Patna. Additionally, representatives from more than 25 reputed firms joined the consultation virtually. This heavy participation from stakeholders clearly indicates that major companies are fully prepared and eager to partner with Indian Railways to deliver superior services to passengers.
Discussions on Contract Duration and Regional Brands
During the meeting, various technical and commercial aspects of the Premium Brand Catering Outlet scheme were discussed in detail. Key topics included the contract period, eligibility criteria for companies, modern facilities to be provided at the outlets, and the participation of national versus regional brands.
Many participants specifically emphasized the need to provide adequate opportunities to local and reputed regional brands at the stations. Meanwhile, a majority of the firms strongly advocated for keeping the catering contract duration relatively long to ensure the highest quality of service and maintain long-term business stability.
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Transparent Policy and Officials’ Address
Addressing the meeting, Chief Commercial Manager (Freight Marketing) Zafar Azam stated that the active participation of stakeholders will greatly assist the railway administration in formulating a transparent, practical, and highly effective policy.
Deputy Chief Commercial Manager (Catering) Prabhas Raghav urged all participants to share constructive suggestions. He assured them that, based on the inputs received, an excellent and passenger-centric system would be developed in line with the passengers’ expectations.
To make the policy formulation process more collaborative, East Central Railway has also issued an official e-mail ID and contact number for stakeholders to submit further suggestions. This excellent initiative will prove to be a milestone in ensuring the availability of reputed food and beverage brands at railway stations.
