Not serving the morning tea to passengers proved costly for the contractor providing catering services on board the Chennai-Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express.

After one of the passenger lodged a complaint that morning tea was not served in the train, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) slapped a penalty of ₹5,000 on the caterer.

The incident was reported on November 8, 2025, and the fine imposed 10 days later. The action taken was communicated to the passenger, Unnikrishnan R.K. of Palakkad, in response to his petition filed under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

IRCTC provides morning tea/coffee as part of the onboard catering services, for which passengers are charged along with the ticket fare.

Duronto Express is one of the premium high-speed trains of the railways with limited stops, and passengers rely more on the onboard catering services for food and beverages.

In a separate development, the Indian Railways have introduced QR code on food packets, which would display the name of the kitchen, date of manufacturing, and other details.

To curb unauthorised vending, QR code-enabled identity cards have also been issued to contractual catering staff. Unauthorised vending on railway premises is punishable under the Railway Act, 1989.

This QR code has been linked to establish authenticity of the staff by displaying the vendor’s name, Aadhaar details, medical fitness, and police verification.

To ensure compliance with food safety norms, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India certification from designated Food Safety Officers of each catering unit has been made mandatory.

Besides deploying senior officers to conduct surprise checks in pantry cars and take samples of food to check quality, Railways have engaged third-party audit to ensure hygiene standards.

The IRCTC was conducting passenger satisfaction survey and imparting training to the catering staff on enhancing their communication skills, courteous behaviour, service standards, personal grooming, and hygiene, the sources said.