Sep 28, 2026, 10:50:13 AM IST

Indian Railways is installing AI-enabled CCTV cameras inside pantry cars and base kitchens across the East Central Railway zone. The cameras will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, watching over food preparation, packaging and supply. The goal is simple: better hygiene, more accountability and fewer complaints about railway food.

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Railway Board chairman Satish Kumar recently visited the IRCTC war room in New Delhi to review how catering operations are running. During that visit, he made it clear that food quality and hygiene standards on trains needed to go up. This initiative is a direct result of that inspection and the push that followed it.

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The East Central Railway zone alone has 73 pantry car and train-side vending services running on mail and express trains. It also has 62 base kitchens that supply meals to passengers on long-distance and premium trains. All of these facilities are expected to come under the proposed AI-powered CCTV network.

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ECR's base kitchens are spread across some of the busiest railway stations in Bihar, including Patna Junction, Rajendra Nagar Terminal, Danapur and Patliputra. Meals and breakfast prepared here are loaded onto trains and served to passengers travelling long distances. These are the kitchens that the AI cameras will monitor most closely.

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The AI-enabled system will not just record footage. It will help railway officials spot lapses in cleanliness, food handling and hygiene standards in real time. Officials will be able to monitor pantry cars and base kitchens remotely and take corrective action immediately if something looks wrong, without waiting for a complaint to come in first.

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Even with AI cameras in place, passengers can still report issues themselves. The Rail Madad platform operates round the clock and accepts complaints about food quality, hygiene and catering services. A senior ECR official confirmed that the new CCTV system will work alongside Rail Madad to make the complaint and response process faster and more effective.

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Indian Railways recorded its highest-ever online ticket bookings on September 7 this year, with over 20 lakh tickets booked in a single day. Demand is rising sharply ahead of Diwali and Chhath, when trains across the country run packed. Launching the AI surveillance system right before the festive rush shows the Railways is serious about handling the pressure without letting hygiene slip.(Inputs from Agencies)

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