Ministry of Railways press release · 25 March 2026 · pibtracker filter

RailMadad Enhances Passenger Convenience with Integrated Grievance Redressal Across Helpline 139, Web, App and SMS, with Provision for Feedback & its Resolution

PRID2245210 MinistryMinistry of Railways Released25 March 2026 Reading9 min

Indian Railways Boosts Traveller Comfort with Regional Cuisine; Passengers Enjoy Thepla in Gujarat, Machher Jhol in West Bengal, Medu Vada in Karnataka, Indori Poha in Madhya Pradesh, and Pyaz Kachori in Rajasthan Posted On: 25 MAR 2026 5:35PM by PIB Delhi RailMadad is Indian Railways grievance redressal mechanism that provides passengers an integrated platform for grievances, assistance and inquiry. In RailMadad, passengers can seek redressal through multiple channels such as Helpline number-139, RailMadad Web, App and SMS. RailMadad also allows passengers to share feedback on the resolution of their grievances. Indian Railways serves nearly 58 crore meals annually across its trains, with complaints averaging only about 0.0008%, which includes complaints related to overcharging. Following inquiries into these complaints, fines amounting to ₹2.6 crore have been imposed over the past three years. During the year 2025, 3 incidents of assault on railway passengers by Pantry Car staff have been reported. Legal action has been taken against the Pantry Car staff by the respective Government Railway Police. Indian Railways continuously endeavour to make available food items to the travelling passengers as per the prescribed rates. Necessary steps are accordingly taken by Indian Railways from time to time to ensure the same. Following steps have been taken by Railways to curb overcharging in trains: SMS is sent to passengers with a link of menu and tariff to make them aware of rates. Installation of Point of Sale (POS) machines for billing and cashless payments. Conducting awareness campaigns to promote billing and curb overcharging. Rates stickers on Packaged Drinking Water (PDW) Buckets and Tea/Coffee urns. Introduction of e-pantry service in Mail/Express trains to facilitate passengers to book meals through an online module. Implementation of QR code enabled Identity Cards to onboard catering staff. Distribution of pamphlets to create awareness regarding the rate of catering items and Packaged Drinking Water bottles. Special Inspection Drives to check overcharging and billing issues. Imposition of suitable penalty in cases of overcharging, if any. In case any such incident in trains is reported, prompt and appropriate punitive action is taken against the service providers for deficiency in service. Regional Cuisines in Trains: The Ministry of Railways vide Commercial Circular No. 25 of 2022 has given IRCTC flexibility to Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC) to customize the menu in trains to include items of regional cuisines, seasonal delicacies and health food options, including millet-based products. Under the above mandate, the menu has been designed by IRCTC based on passenger feedback. IRCTC has introduced regional cuisines from time to time to offer a personalised experience to passengers of different regions. Some of the regional cuisines introduced in trains are as under:- S. No. States Cuisine Items 1. Odisha Dalma, Chenna Poda 2. Tamil Nadu Set Dosai, Palakatti Chettinad 3. Karnataka Medu Vada 4 Rajasthan Pyaz Kachori 5 Maharashtra Vada Pav 6 West Bengal Machher Jhol 7 Gujarat Thepla 8 Jharkhand Singara, Fuluri, Aloo Chokha, Aloo Parwal 9 Madhya Pradesh Kanda Poha, Indori Poha, Sev Tamatar Sabji, Ajwain Paratha, Ragi Bhakhri, Patra Bhagar, Khoya Chicken, Ragi Thepla, Bhey Introduction of these regional/local dishes has given passengers the opportunity to enjoy authentic local flavors and connect with the local culture. This information was provided by the Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a reply to questions in Lok Sabha today. ***** Dharmendra Tewari/ Dr. Nayan Solanki/ Ritu Raj (Release ID: 2245210) Visitor Counter : 477 Read this release in: Urdu , हिन्दी , Gujarati , Kannada Ministry of Railways RailMadad Enhances Passenger Convenience with Integrated Grievance Redressal Across Helpline 139, Web, App and SMS, with Provision for Feedback & its Resolution Indian Railways Boosts Traveller Comfort with Regional Cuisine; Passengers Enjoy Thepla in Gujarat, Machher Jhol in West Bengal, Medu Vada in Karnataka, Indori Poha in Madhya Pradesh, and Pyaz Kachori in Rajasthan Posted On: 25 MAR 2026 5:35PM by PIB Delhi RailMadad is Indian Railways grievance redressal mechanism that provides passengers an integrated platform for grievances, assistance and inquiry. In RailMadad, passengers can seek redressal through multiple channels such as Helpline number-139, RailMadad Web, App and SMS. RailMadad also allows passengers to share feedback on the resolution of their grievances. Indian Railways serves nearly 58 crore meals annually across its trains, with complaints averaging only about 0.0008%, which includes complaints related to overcharging. Following inquiries into these complaints, fines amounting to ₹2.6 crore have been imposed over the past three years. During the year 2025, 3 incidents of assault on railway passengers by Pantry Car staff have been reported. Legal action has been taken against the Pantry Car staff by the respective Government Railway Police. Indian Railways continuously endeavour to make available food items to the travelling passengers as per the prescribed rates. Necessary steps are accordingly taken by Indian Railways from time to time to ensure the same. Following steps have been taken by Railways to curb overcharging in trains: SMS is sent to passengers with a link of menu and tariff to make them aware of rates. Installation of Point of Sale (POS) machines for billing and cashless payments. Conducting awareness campaigns to promote billing and curb overcharging. Rates stickers on Packaged Drinking Water (PDW) Buckets and Tea/Coffee urns. Introduction of e-pantry service in Mail/Express trains to facilitate passengers to book meals through an online module. Implementation of QR code enabled Identity Cards to onboard catering staff. Distribution of pamphlets to create awareness regarding the rate of catering items and Packaged Drinking Water bottles. Special Inspection Drives to check overcharging and billing issues. Imposition of suitable penalty in cases of overcharging, if any. In case any such incident in trains is reported, prompt and appropriate punitive action is taken against the service providers for deficiency in service. Regional Cuisines in Trains: The Ministry of Railways vide Commercial Circular No. 25 of 2022 has given IRCTC flexibility to Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC) to customize the menu in trains to include items of regional cuisines, seasonal delicacies and health food options, including millet-based products. Under the above mandate, the menu has been designed by IRCTC based on passenger feedback. IRCTC has introduced regional cuisines from time to time to offer a personalised experience to passengers of different regions. Some of the regional cuisines introduced in trains are as under:- S. No. States Cuisine Items 1. Odisha Dalma, Chenna Poda 2. Tamil Nadu Set Dosai, Palakatti Chettinad 3. Karnataka Medu Vada 4 Rajasthan Pyaz Kachori 5 Maharashtra Vada Pav 6 West Bengal Machher Jhol 7 Gujarat Thepla 8 Jharkhand Singara, Fuluri, Aloo Chokha, Aloo Parwal 9 Madhya Pradesh Kanda Poha, Indori Poha, Sev Tamatar Sabji, Ajwain Paratha, Ragi Bhakhri, Patra Bhagar, Khoya Chicken, Ragi Thepla, Bhey Introduction of these regional/local dishes has given passengers the opportunity to enjoy authentic local flavors and connect with the local culture. This information was provided by the Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a reply to questions in Lok Sabha today. ***** Dharmendra Tewari/ Dr. Nayan Solanki/ Ritu Raj (Release ID: 2245210) Indian Railways Boosts Traveller Comfort with Regional Cuisine; Passengers Enjoy Thepla in Gujarat, Machher Jhol in West Bengal, Medu Vada in Karnataka, Indori Poha in Madhya Pradesh, and Pyaz Kachori in Rajasthan" /> RailMadad is Indian Railways grievance redressal mechanism that provides passengers an integrated platform for grievances, assistance and inquiry. In RailMadad, passengers can seek redressal through multiple channels such as Helpline number-139, RailMadad Web, App and SMS. RailMadad also allows passengers to share feedback on the resolution of their grievances. Indian Railways serves nearly 58 crore meals annually across its trains, with complaints averaging only about 0.0008%, which includes complaints related to overcharging. Following inquiries into these complaints, fines amounting to ₹2.6 crore have been imposed over the past three years. During the year 2025, 3 incidents of assault on railway passengers by Pantry Car staff have been reported. Legal action has been taken against the Pantry Car staff by the respective Government Railway Police. Indian Railways continuously endeavour to make available food items to the travelling passengers as per the prescribed rates. Necessary steps are accordingly taken by Indian Railways from time to time to ensure the same. Following steps have been taken by Railways to curb overcharging in trains: <ul style="margin-left:40px"> <li style="text-align:justify">SMS is sent to passengers with a link of menu and tariff to make them aware of rates.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Installation of Point of Sale (POS) machines for billing and cashless payments.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Conducting awareness campaigns to promote billing and curb overcharging.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Rates stickers on Packaged Drinking Water (PDW) Buckets and Tea/Coffee urns.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Introduction of e-pantry service in Mail/Express trains to facilitate passengers to book meals through an online module.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Implementation of QR code enabled Identity Cards to onboard catering staff.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Distribution of pamphlets to create awareness regarding the rate of catering items and Packaged Drinking Water bottles.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Special Inspection Drives to check overcharging and billing issues.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Imposition of suitable penalty in cases of overcharging, if any.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">In case any such incident in trains is reported, prompt and appropriate punitive action is taken against the service providers for deficiency in service.</li> </ul> Regional Cuisines in Trains: The Ministry of Railways vide Commercial Circular No. 25 of 2022 has given IRCTC flexibility to Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC) to customize the menu in trains to include items of regional cuisines, seasonal delicacies and health food options, including millet-based products. Under the above mandate, the menu has been designed by IRCTC based on passenger feedback. IRCTC has introduced regional cuisines from time to time to offer a personalised experience to passengers of different regions. Some of the regional cuisines introduced in trains are as under:- <table border="1" bordercolor="#ccc" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="Table" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width:66.0pt"> S. No. </td> <td style="width:112.5pt"> States </td> <td style="width:466.5pt"> Cuisine Items </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:66.0pt"> 1. </td> <td style="width:112.5pt"> Odisha </td> <td style="width:466.5pt"> Dalma, Chenna Poda </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:66.0pt"> 2. </td> <td style="width:112.5pt"> Tamil Nadu </td> <td style="width:466.5pt"> Set Dosai, Palakatti Chettinad </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:66.0pt"> 3. </td> <td style="width:112.5pt"> Karnataka </td> <td style="width:466.5pt"> Medu Vada </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:66.0pt"> 4 </td> <td style="width:112.5pt"> Rajasthan </td> <td style="width:466.5pt"> Pyaz Kachori </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:66.0pt"> 5 </td> <td style="width:112.5pt"> Maharashtra </td> <td style="width:466.5pt"> Vada Pav </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:66.0pt"> 6 </td> <td style="width:112.5pt"> West Bengal </td> <td style="width:466.5pt"> Machher Jhol </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:66.0pt"> 7 </td> <td style="width:112.5pt"> &l

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RailMadad Enhances Passenger Convenience with Integrated Grievance Redressal Across Helpline 139, Web, App and SMS, with Provision for Feedback & its Resolution

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