According to reports, IRCTC issued a letter dated March 10 instructing food plazas, refreshment rooms, and Jan Ahaar outlets at railway stations to switch to alternative cooking methods if LPG supplies become insufficient. The directive comes as the shortage has begun affecting the company’s base kitchens, where meals for trains are prepared before being loaded onto pantry cars.
As per News18, railway officials said the LPG shortage is already impacting operations at these base kitchens. These facilities play a critical role in IRCTC’s catering network, as they prepare large quantities of food that are supplied to trains across the country.
The development is significant because catering remains a major revenue driver for IRCTC. In the third quarter, the company reported total revenue of over ₹1,449 crore, of which catering alone contributed about ₹660 crore. This means the segment accounts for roughly 45% of the company’s overall revenue, making any disruption to food services a key concern for investors and railway passengers alike.