74 Passengers Served Expired Bread On Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express, Indian Railways Fines Caterer

When you board a premium train like a Shatabdi Express, you expect your breakfast to be fresh and safe to eat. But for a number of passengers travelling from Delhi to Bhopal on Saturday morning, breakfast came with an unpleasant surprise. The bread served to them had already expired. 

Passengers Realised The Bread Had Expired Only After Eating It

The incident took place on the 12002 New Delhi-Rani Kamalapati Shatabdi Express during breakfast service. According to Bhaskar English, around 74 passengers travelling in the C-4 coach, including young children, were served packaged bread. One passenger happened to look closely at the packet, noticed the printed 'use by' date of July 10, 2026, and immediately informed others nearby.

Also Read: Video: 80-Year-Old Woman Reaches World's Highest Motorable Pass, Inspires The Internet

Soon, everyone began checking their packets and discovered they had all been served bread that had already expired. By then, many passengers had already finished eating it, leading to concerns about possible food poisoning and whether the expired food could affect their health.

Passengers also claimed they saw catering packets kept outside the coach that also contained bread with the same expiry date, Bhaskar English reported.

IRCTC Takes Action Against The Caterer

A few hours after passengers raised the issue, IRCTC issued a statement on X saying it had taken the matter "with utmost seriousness." The railway catering body said it had imposed a hefty penalty on the service provider responsible for supplying the food.

It also confirmed that the staff responsible had been immediately de-rostered, meaning they were removed from duty. In addition, IRCTC instructed the catering company to ensure that every member of the service staff checks the expiry date of all food products before serving them to passengers, without any exceptions.

Also Read: Video: Passenger Shows Clean Tamil Nadu Train, Compares It To North Indian Trains

While no illnesses had been officially reported at the time of the incident, passengers said the episode was worrying because the bread was served on a premium train where travellers expect higher standards of food quality and safety.