Swiggy, IRCTC join hands to deliver food to train passengers

Food delivery platform Swiggy and The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) have signed an agreement for food delivery services to train passengers traveling through Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Visakhapatnam, and Vijayawada. The partnership aims to extend the service to more than 59 stations in the next six months.

"IRCTC does e-catering in around 350 stations in the A and A1 class. Mail express trains stop for more time in these stations and so it's easier to deliver," said IRCTC managing director Sanjay Kumar Jain.

"We are already working with 17 aggregators, including Zomato. Our e-catering business this year already has done Rs 30 crore in revenue. We are giving 60,000 meals per day and almost at a zero percent complaint rate," he added.

There are two kinds of order flows that will be made available to consumers: first, they can enter their PNR number on the Swiggy interface and continue to order.

In the second, they have to input the PNR on the IRCTC app, select the preferred station for food delivery, browse through an extensive list of restaurants on Swiggy, choose a restaurant that is delivering at the specified location and time.

The food delivered to passengers will be packed in insulated Swiggy bags to keep the meal warm and fresh. Swiggy's delivery partner would reach the selected platform, hand over the food to the customer and mark the food delivered. To ensure smooth operations, effective issue resolution and maximum comfort for the passengers, Swiggy's support agents will

be trained in resolution process, gratification and cancellation policies.

"Swiggy's mission is to bring convenience to the lives of consumers. The Indian Railways are the lifeline of our nation, transporting more than 8 billion passengers annually. If during these rail journeys, which traverse across states and districts, one has the option to order meals to explore the culinary diversity of India, it would make the experience more convenient and enjoyable, and add to the overall vividness of the train travel," said Rohit Kapoor, CEO, Food Marketplace, Swiggy.

This comes at a time when Swiggy is preparing for an initial public offering, while the market for food deliveries in India is said to be slowing down.

Its revenue grew 45 percent to Rs 8,625 crore in FY23, while its net loss widened to Rs 4,179 crore.

Swiggy and Zomato dominate the food delivery market in the country, accounting for about 95 percent of the entire business. While Zomato has turned profitable, Swiggy is taking steps to get there.