Train delays are common in Indian Railways and for many passengers, long waits at busy stations can be very frustrating. While some delays last only a few minutes, others stretch into hours and test everyone’s
patience. A little known IRCTC rule is now getting attention and may bring some relief to travellers. The policy applies to Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi Express trains and comes into effect when a train gets delayed.
If any of these trains are delayed by two hours or more, passengers are eligible to receive a free meal during the journey. This rule recently came into the spotlight after a traveller shared their experience online. Their Rajdhani train was delayed by nearly six hours and during the wait, they were served a basic meal. The post surprised many who were unaware of this benefit.
Free Meals For Delayed Premium Trains
The person also shared a photo of the food they received, which showed two small boxes of dal and rice. Along with the picture, they explained this interesting rule that is useful for passengers who have reserved tickets in premium trains.
The post shared on X came with the caption, “Did you know that passengers are entitled to a free meal if their train is delayed? Yes. As per IRCTC’s catering policy, if your train is delayed by more than 2 hours, you are entitled to a free meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner), depending on the time of the delay. However, this policy is limited to premium trains like Rajdhani, Duronto, and Shatabdi. My Rajdhani is currently delayed by 6 hours (due to fog), and I just received lunch.”
Did you know that passengers are entitled to a free meal if their train is delayed?
Yes. As per IRCTC’s catering policy, if your train is delayed by more than 2 hours, you are entitled to a free meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner), depending on the time of the delay.
However, this… pic.twitter.com/hWhndCMsP7
— Trains of India 🇮🇳 (@trainwalebhaiya) January 8, 2026
Reacting to the post, a user wrote, “For the quality they serve, I don’t even want it for free.”
Another shared, “I remember boarding the Rajdhani from Tatanagar to Delhi and the train was delayed due to fog for more than 8 hours. The catering staff served us all meals, which were impacted due to a delay. Though I don’t consume train food, they looked after passengers’ needs during delays.”
“Do we have to ask for it? Because I didn’t get anything when my Rajdhani to Delhi reached late by over 4 hours,” a comment read.
An individual stated, “Honestly, that’s actually pretty fair? Like most airlines already do this, so IRCTC is catching up. But the real question is how many ppl actually know about it.”
Another mentioned, “This happened to us in a Vande Bharat. Could not wait because I had a flight to catch. Why is this the norm? Like, the train will be late for less than 2 hours and it is fine?”
One more added, “I think standards have improved!! 10 years back, our Kolkata-Delhi Rajdhani was delayed by 10-12 hours due to fog and a technical snag and was stranded in the middle of nowhere! We all were starving and all that we got from the canteen staff was boiled rice and watery dal.”
Along with dal and rice, other users shared that passengers are served khichdi as well when the train is delayed.
