Pantry car to replace with 3rd AC Coach

In the wake of the Corona expansion, Indian Railways is gearing up to accommodate more people. The Railways has decided to replace the pantry car coaches in the trains with passable coaches. This step is being taken by railway to ensure that there is no wastage of resources. According to reports, the railway will convert pantry cars of 300 trains into AC three coaches. This will enable more passengers to travel by train. Pantry car is a special coach in the train which is used to prepare and serve food to the passengers. The system of pantry car service was stopped after the railway resumed operation of special trains amid the coronavirus pandemic due to health concerns. This was a long-time plan of the Indian Railways. The idea is to introduce e-catering at all stations and reduce dependency on private caterers who are in charge of pantry cars. The other reason is to replace the pantry cars with passengers is to earn more revenue. However, to make the scheme successful, things have to be worked out in such a manner that all the stations through which important trains pass through meal time must have e-catering facilities.

The Indian Railways has reviewed its security, crowd management and enforcement of COVID-19 protocol, as footfalls have started increasing ahead of the festive season. According to them, the field formations were asked to launch an intensive awareness campaign among the travelling passengers regarding the guidelines issued by Railway administration to prevent the spread of coronavirus in railway stations and trains. They were also asked to strictly enforce the COVID protocol. Since the footfall in stations and trains is slated to increase during the festival season, the need was felt to launch a focused initiative across all zones for the safety and security of women passengers. To provide better safety and security to lady passengers travelling by trains, a new initiative ‘Meri Saheli’ was launched. This initiative is aimed to instil a sense of security among the lady passengers and respond effectively to any security-related issue faced or seen by lady passengers. The Indian Railways said it was felt that offenders involved in human trafficking may try to indulge in the trafficking of women and children taking advantage of the festive season rush as they are most vulnerable to this crime. As per reports, field formations have been directed to continue their drive against touts cornering reserved railway tickets and selling it to needy passengers at a premium.