This is the latest review I have from the Indian railways and the food offered during our journey. I have this review from my last trip from Durg station to Pune Station by the train Bilaspur-Pune Superfast express. The start time from Durg is 2.20 PM, the next station is Gondia & Nagpur at 6.20 PM, after nagpur the next station is at 9.30 PM. The train does not have a pantry car, food order is taken in the train after 7 PM and the food is delivered at 9.30 PM. The advantage to food vendors is at Nagpur when it is known there won't be any next station for long, passengers are forced to take food from the Nagpur station. While in Nagpur, there is no other vendor available as Comesum has the monopoly. Every train that does not have a pantry car will have orders through comesum, what they do is the delivery boys will be seen standing in every door of the train at the Nagpur station hault with the Comesum Combo Lunch pack costing Rs 150. Now comes my reviews below:
Nice packing very tight packing you will get irritated to open it and feel like throwing it as the box is so tightly packed that it is very difficult to open it, you will feel like having a scissor or blade to open it which certainly you will not carry in the train.
You have no other choice in the station to buy the Comesum food as they have a monopoly and will not allow any other vendor to distribute the food at the station.
You have no other choice if you havent brought your own food, as the train does not have a pantry car.
You have no other choice as the only station that you have at your dinner time is Nagpur station, or you remain hungry till night to wait for the next option.
The food is of bad quality, the whole food is full of preseravatives, sabjis like Paneer masala will surely be there. If you store the food for 2 hours since you bought at 6.30 PM and wanted to eat at 8.30 PM, the food will smell like a packed food with lot of preservatives added, not good to eat, not good for health at all and is more acidic. Avoid taking such food from stations as it is stored food with lot of preservatives and taste is really pathetic. You could rather wait at next station and buy some fresh food. It is better to always carry your own food.
After the last revision in taxes, railway charges, food lunch & dinner prices have shooted up from Rs 60 per meal to Rs 90 - Rs 120 per plate. Even the trains that have pantries are now charging nothing less than Rs 90 per plate. It is better to cook and carry something from home as we used to do in our olden days.
Beware of the outside food when you travel through these trains, check well before you buy any food items at stations.