Indian Railways has launched a new 'book meals through SMS' service that went live today, reports Press Trust of India. Railway passengers on a few select trains can now SMS to 139 to book a meal. This service is currently being run as a pilot project on six trains in the Delhi-Amritsar route, namely Delhi-Pathankot Express, Katihar-Amritsar Express, Amritsar-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express, Shane Punjab Express, New Delhi-Amritsar Express and Shaheed Express. Passengers need to SMS and send it to 139. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will verify the PNR number, check the coach and seat number, and the passenger will be contacted by some one onboard with the menu. Payment needs to be done after the food is delivered. During the pilot phase, food will delivered at any one of the five designated stations - New Delhi, Delhi, Nizamuddin, Amritsar and Ludhiana. IRCTC Food Plazas and catering units along the Delhi-Amritsar route will be supplying the food. Passengers can also call on 1800-1034-139 or 0120-4383892-99 to book a meal, besides SMS. For once Indian Railways implements a plan, even if partial Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda had announced that Indian Railways will set up Food Courts at major stations, and provide passengers the option of ordering regional cuisine while onboard, through emails, SMS and smartphones among others, during his Railway Budget speech earlier this year. At the time he had said that a pilot project will be started shortly on the New Delhi-Amritsar and New Delhi-Jammu Tawi routes.…
