Bhubaneswar: In a significant step towards enhancing passenger comfort, hygiene and service quality, East Coast Railway (ECoR) Waltair Division’s DRM Lalit Bohra launched an innovative tea and coffee vending initiative on trains.
This new system (gadget), first-of-its-kind, aims to provide passengers with tastier, hotter and more hygienic beverages while ensuring ease of operation for vendors.
Traditionally, tea and coffee were carried in open buckets or cans held by hand, which was often unappealing and raised hygiene concerns.
Under the new initiative, vendors are equipped with a specially designed wearable gadget featuring an insulated thermos container.
Tea and coffee packets are neatly stored in one pouch, while disposable cups are kept in another, leaving both hands of the vendor free for smooth movement and safe service.
The gadget also includes a dedicated pocket for safe disposal of used sachets and waste generated during vending, making the process cleaner and more environmentally friendly.
To further enhance passenger convenience, a QR code has been integrated into the gadget, enabling digital payments and ensuring a completely hassle-free experience.
The new system not only looks appealing but is also highly hygienic, as the equipment cannot be placed on the floor, seats or other unhygienic surfaces, which was common in earlier practices.
The insulated container helps in maintaining higher temperature for longer duration, thereby preserving the taste and quality of tea, coffee, soup, milk and noodles being served.
Speaking on the occasion, Bohra stated that this initiative is being introduced as a pilot project on the AP Express on the auspicious occasion of Bhogi-Sankranthi, when the entire state of Andhra Pradesh is in a festive mood.
“Passenger feedback will be closely monitored and, based on responses, further improvements will be made before extending the system to more trains,” he added.
He also emphasised that this initiative will positively impact passengers’ perception by offering them tastier and more hygienic refreshments.
The ergonomic design of the gadget also reduces the physical load on vendors and enables them to move easily from one coach to another.
Under the pilot project, each insulated container can have a capacity of 5 litres and can serve approximately 35 passengers at a time. Once refilled, the vendor can conveniently serve an entire coach in one round.
Building on the success and positive feedback of the onboard vending system, Waltair Division plans to extend the initiative to platform vending as well.
