Zomato and IRCTC join hands to offer wider array of food options to travellers, Zomato shares surges

Zomato and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) have partnered to offer a wider array of food options to rail travellers through the E-catering segment.

IRCTC has initiated a Proof of Concept (PoC) at five major railway stations --New Delhi, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Lucknow, and Varanasi, as part of this collaboration. Now, the passengers can order and get their preordered meals through the IRCTC E-catering portal.

"This is to inform that in view of widening the range of options available to rail passengers for ordering food of their choice under IRCTC’s E- Catering segment, IRCTC has tied up with M/s. Zomato Limited for supply and delivery of preordered meals through IRCTC’s E-catering portal as a Proof of Concept (PoC) in the first phase at five Railway stations i.e. New Delhi, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Lucknow & Varanasi," the company stated.

The partnership is aimed to provide more choices and ease when it comes to culinary preferences to the rail travellers. It is intended to make rail journeys more comfortable and enjoyable.

After the announcement of the deal, shares of Zomato went up at a 52-week high of Rs 115 per share.

As for the IRCTC, it is looking at special services and offers for passengers in light of the festive season. The catering arm has already announced special Navratri thalis which looks at the special demand of fasting passengers.