In a significant push towards improving passenger experience and ensuring fair access to train tickets, Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, conducted a high-level review meeting with railway officials at Rail Bhawan today.
Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries, Ravneet Singh Bittu, was also present.
The Minister directed officials to introduce local and regional cuisine in Vande Bharat Express trains, emphasising that this move will enrich the travel experience by offering meals reflective of the cultural and culinary diversity of the regions the trains pass through. “Introducing local cuisine will significantly enhance the passenger experience by offering food that reflects the culture and tastes of the regions being traversed,” the Ministry stated. This facility is set to be progressively expanded to all trains in the future, promising a more personalised and authentic dining option for millions of rail travellers.
On the ticketing front, the Minister highlighted the positive outcomes of the ongoing crackdown on fake user identities used for fraudulent ticket bookings on the IRCTC platform. Thanks to a stringent identity verification system, the daily creation of new user IDs has plummeted from nearly one lakh to as low as 5,000. This reform has already led to the deactivation of 3.03 crore fake accounts. Additionally, another 2.70 crore user IDs have been temporarily suspended or flagged for suspension due to suspicious activities.
Shri Vaishnaw and Shri Bittu instructed officials to further reform the ticketing ecosystem, ensuring that every traveller can easily book tickets using a genuine and verified user ID. These measures aim to curb touting, reduce black-marketing of tickets, and make confirmed reservations more accessible to ordinary passengers.
The initiatives align with the government’s broader vision of modernising Indian Railways while preserving cultural elements and promoting transparency. Passengers can look forward to a more enjoyable and equitable rail journey in the coming months.