Chennai: When e-catering was launched in January 2015, only three meals were booked in the first month through the utility. As its popularity gained, a lot of customers are now booking online for meal with the number of meals being booked reaching about 8,000.

“When we started off, we could barely manage 15 transactions in a day. Now, it easily crosses 400. KFC, Dominos and Ratna Cafe have been partnering with us, and they are popular among travellers,” said a senior Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) official.

“Using the IRCTC app or website, or 1232 toll-free number, customers can avail e-catering instead of solely depending on the food offered on trains or at the stations,” he said.

Commuters opting for online ordering of food have liked the idea of getting fresh food delivered to them. “I used to buy food brought on trains. It was dry and I could make out that it was cooked long back. e-booking of food has made it easier for me as the delivered food is of better quality,” said Sai Kishore, an IT professional.

A major challenge that IRCTC faces, he said, was coordination of vendors with the train arriving at a station. “Some stations have a halt for a few minutes, and if the bookings are too many, there have been instances when people have called back for meals not having got delivered,” the official said.

Efforts are on to improve customer experience despite the limitations, according to IRCTC officials. “Sourcing of food is another issue,” said another official. “We have to ensure quality and food has to be checked to meets the standards,” he said.