Catering Services in Transportation

Services that include restaurants, refreshment rooms, dining cars, and various vending methods like stalls and trolleys.

Facilities offering meals and refreshments.

Requesting meals from train staff to be relayed to restaurants.

Arrangements for catering services in case of unexpected service delays or train schedules.

Maintaining sanitation standards in cooking areas and serving areas.

Railway administrations appoint contractors to manage catering services.

Selling goods on trains, stations, or other railway premises not authorized by the railway.

Displaying advertisements, pictures, notices, or literature in catering and vending units requires prior approval from railway administration.

Catering units must serve all passengers equally, regardless of their caste or community and cannot display any signs indicating catering to specific groups.

Bookstalls at stations are designated for the sale of newspapers, periodicals and other printed materials. Unauthorized selling of books is not permitted.

Bookstalls should sell books in English, Hindi, and regional languages, with prices and contractor names clearly marked on each publication. Second-hand books and obscene materials are prohibited.

Station Masters, Catering Inspectors, Commercial Inspectors, Catering and Commercial Officers, and railway officers from all departments are responsible for inspecting catering units.

Inspectors submit their reports on catering and vending services to the Chief Divisional Commercial Superintendent.

Medical Officers can collect food and beverage samples from catering units for chemical analysis. Samples must be taken with the vendor present and sealed in their presence.

These regulations are designed to ensure a consistent and high standard of service in catering and vending units on railways.

A catering contractor must report any violations or issues, like poor service, non-payment of dues, or unauthorized staff, to the appropriate railway authorities.

Defaults include poor service, unpaid railway dues, breaking railway rules, hiring unauthorized staff, not ensuring medical exams for staff, unauthorized land use, traveling without proper permission, subletting their contract, being absent without permission, misconduct, adulteration of food, and other faults noticed by inspectors.

If a contractor is found guilty of breaking rules, the appropriate authority can give them a disciplinary punishment. The Station Master must then enforce this punishment.

A contract can be ended by the railway or the contractor. Once this happens, the Station Master must take over the catering operations.

The Station Master must check for any unpaid railway dues or missing railway property. The contractor must pay any dues and sign a 'no claim certificate' confirming they don't owe anything more.

After all the financial checks are done, the contractor's security deposit is refunded according to the railway's rules.

Inspectors send their reports about catering services to the Chief Divisional Commercial Superintendent.

Medical officers can take food or drink samples from catering units to check if they are safe and meet quality standards.

These rules are designed to ensure high quality and consistent service in catering and vending operations on the railway.

Catering supplies are categorized as tools & equipment (furniture, refrigerators), block stock (crockery, cutlery), and consumables (provisions, milk).

The Chief Commercial Superintendent, through the Controller of Stores, arranges the initial supply of tools, plants, and equipment for new catering units.

Indents for additional catering supplies are submitted by the Unit Manager to the Chief Commercial Superintendent, sometimes through the Divisional Commercial Superintendent.

Replacement indents are forwarded to the Chief Commercial Superintendent (Catering) for transmission to the Controller of Stores, following the Indian Railway Code for the Stores Department.

Temporary equipment transfers between units must be documented with issue notes, and the items should be returned as soon as possible.

The Chief Commercial Superintendent (Catering) has overall control, while Divisional Commercial Superintendents manage catering on railways with decentralized control.

The Station Master oversees the daily operations of catering units, ensuring cleanliness and efficient service. They report any issues to the Unit Manager and Divisional Commercial Superintendent.

Catering Inspectors supervise and control catering and vending units. They ensure efficient service, enforce regulations, and ensure staff understand procedures.

A Central Storage Depot helps ensure uniform and readily available supplies for catering units by stocking goods that won't spoil in bulk, leading to cost savings.

Consumables are generally obtained through contractors appointed by the Headquarters Office, promoting efficiency and quality control.

Catering refers to full-service restaurants and refreshment rooms, while vending encompasses smaller operations like stalls and trolleys selling snacks and drinks.

Catering services must be adapted to deal with unexpected delays. Restaurants may provide meals to passengers on trains, while vending units offer snacks and drinks.

Contractors should follow the same standards as railway catering units, ensuring high quality service and compliance with regulations.

Catering units are regularly inspected for cleanliness and hygiene by Station Masters, Catering Inspectors, and other railway officials.

Medical Officers can collect food and beverage samples for chemical analysis, ensuring safety and quality.

A lightweight aluminum or stainless steel cover placed on each thali (serving tray) to prevent food contamination by the dirty underside of the thali above it.

All catering staff must undergo medical examinations by a railway doctor to ensure they are free of contagious diseases. A medical certificate is required and must be readily available for inspection.

Catering staff must wear clean and tidy uniforms, badges, and insignia as prescribed by the railway. They should be courteous and civil to the public and refrain from consuming intoxicants while on duty.

The amount of cooked food served, like rice, chapattis, and vegetables, must adhere to standardized measurements set by the railway.

The police authorities must verify the background and character of every person employed in catering services.

Inspectors submit detailed reports on catering and vending services to the Chief Divisional Commercial Superintendent.

The Station Master is responsible for supervising the daily operations of catering units, ensuring cleanliness and efficient service.

Contractors are responsible for providing catering services according to the agreement, adhering to regulations, and maintaining cleanliness.

Attendance records ensure that the contractor's staff is present at designated times, especially during train arrival and departure.

The Station Master will investigate and address any breach of contract or misconduct by the contractor or their staff.

Depending on the severity of the violation, the contractor may face disciplinary action, including fines, contract termination, or even legal action.

Station Masters, Catering Inspectors, Commercial Inspectors, Catering and Commercial Officers, and other railway officials inspect catering units.

A lightweight aluminum or stainless steel cover placed on each thali (serving tray) to prevent food contamination by the dirty underside of the thali above it.

All catering staff must undergo medical examinations by a railway doctor to ensure they are free of contagious diseases. A medical certificate is required and must be readily available for inspection.

Catering staff must wear clean and tidy uniforms, badges, and insignia as prescribed by the railway. They should be courteous and civil to the public and refrain from consuming intoxicants while on duty.

The police authorities must verify the background and character of every person employed in catering services.

Inspectors submit detailed reports on catering and vending services to the Chief Divisional Commercial Superintendent.

A fixed amount of money given to a unit manager for specific expenses, like local purchases.

The money earned by a catering unit from selling food and drinks.

The unit manager can use the sale proceeds for local purchases if the imprest isn't enough, but only with prior authorization.

A document prepared by the unit manager that details how imprest or sale proceeds were spent.

Two copies of the statement and summary of expenses are submitted to the controlling officer with vouchers, one copy is retained by the unit, and the controlling officer forwards one copy each to the Accounts Office and keeps one copy.

Unit managers submit monthly indents for supplies to the central storage depot, aiming to avoid unnecessary storage in the units. Urgent needs require a special messenger.

When issuing supplies, the central storage depot creates five copies of the issue note: one for the depot, one for Accounts, and three for the receiving unit.

Unit managers order supplies from approved contractors using 'purchase order forms' in quadruplicate, sending one copy to the supplier, one to accounts, and keeping two copies.

Contractors who have been authorized by the railway to supply various goods and services, ensuring quality and compliance with regulations.