Indian Railways has now made the catering service optional in Vande Bharat Express trains and passengers don’t have to compulsorily book the food along with their tickets.
The Delhi – Katra Vande Bharat Express train has been a huge help for devotees who wish to visit Mata Vaishno Devi. The journey used to take about 12 to 13 hours before the arrival of Vande Bharat Express and the new semi-high speed train has made it possible to cover the same distance within 8 hours. The Vande Bharat trains not only take less time but also they come equipped with world-class facilities which make it possible for passengers to have a pleasant journey. Several amenities including meals are offered to the passengers onboard.
Indian Railways has now made a few changes to the meal options in Vande Bharat trains. The availing of catering services in Vande Bharat Express trains will not become optional. It’s no longer compulsory for the passengers to book meals while booking their tickets in these trains. If the passengers want to carry their own food and don’t need catering services onboard they can do so and the ticket price will also come down.
You can opt out of catering services and still order while onboard while travelling. But, the money charged for each item will be a little more than the pre-booked meals. Therefore, it is preferable to book your meals along with your train tickets in advance. For instance, booking a breakfast meal while booking your train ticket will cost you Rs 155, but if you wish to avail the same meal and pay onboard, the amount will be Rs 205.
The chair car and executive chair car class coaches cost Rs 364 and Rs 415 for meals respectively. A cup of tea will cost you about Rs 15 onboard and breakfast will cost Rs 122 for chair car class and Rs 155 for executive chair car. Lunch and dinner will be provided to the passengers at a price of Rs 244 in executive chair car coaches and Rs 222 in chair car coaches.
The ticket fare to travel from New Delhi to Katra is Rs 1630 in the chair car class. This includes a base fare of Rs 1120, reservation charge of Rs 40, superfast charge of Rs 45 and GST of Rs 61. The executive chair car ticket costs Rs 3015 and includes Rs 2337 base fare, reservation charges of Rs 60, superfast charge of Rs 75 and GST of Rs 124.
