IRCTC's New Initiatives: From Modern Kitchens To POS Machines For Cashless Transactions

IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) has recently come up with a host of new initiatives for the convenience of passengers of Indian Railways. This includes modernisation of base kitchens, enhancement of ticket booking from 2,000 to 20,000 tkts/min, POS machines for cashless transactions, use of Artificial Intelligence for kitchen monitoring, said IRCTC in a tweet on Tuesday. IRCTC is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways, which handles the catering, tourism and online ticketing operations of the Indian Railways.   

IRCTC's new initiatives in detail:

WiFi services: According to IRCTC, high-speed WiFi is available at more than 675 stations and it aims to provide the service at all stations. 

PoS machines: Point of sale (PoS) machines have been installed to encourage cashless transactions. 9,100 PoS machines have been installed at about 4,000 locations. PoS machines will ensure compulsory billing and would give 'No Bill Free Food Policy' a boost, which says one doesn't have to pay for food and beverages if one is not provided with a bill.   

Tickets: Capacity of ticketing increased from 2,000 tickets per minute in 2014 to estimated 20,000 tickets per minute in 2018, said IRCTC. IRCTC has also done away with service charge on credit and debit cards for purchasing tickets at booking counters. 

Catering: According to IRCTC, 16 base kitchens were upgraded in FY18. Indian Railways has also introduced usage of Artificial Intelligence to monitor food production in base kitchens to improve quality and hygiene. 

Compulsory printing of MRP (maximum retail price) on all food items started on more than 300 trains and optional catering on 32 Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto and Gatimaan trains has been introduced. 1,689 water vending machines have also been installed at 600 stations.