LPG shortage hits railway station kitchens; onboard catering continues

The ongoing LPG shortage has begun to affect restaurants in railway stations, with several food vendors reporting difficulties in maintaining regular operations due to declining gas supplies.

However, officials of South Western Railway (SWR) said catering services on trains have not been significantly disrupted so far.

At the busy Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station, hotel owners said the shortage has forced them to alter their menus and limit items that require continuous gas usage.

A hotel owner running a food stall at the station said the shortage has compelled them to stop preparing certain popular dishes. “We have temporarily stopped making dosa and other tiffin items that require the stove to be on for long periods. The dosa preparation consumes a lot of gas throughout the day. With LPG cylinders becoming difficult to procure, we are now focusing on items like idli, packaged snacks, coffee and tea which require comparatively less gas,” he said, adding that the uncertainty over cylinder supplies has made daily operations challenging.

The railway officials said the impact on onboard catering has been limited because most meals served on long-distance trains are prepared in advance at base kitchens operated by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). These meals are then loaded onto trains at designated stations.

A senior SWR official explained that pantry cars on trains primarily function as distribution and reheating units rather than full-scale kitchens. “Most meals served on long-distance trains are cooked at base kitchens under controlled conditions and then supplied to trains at scheduled points. Pantry cars are mainly used for reheating and serving food to passengers. Because of this system, the current LPG shortage has not significantly affected catering services on trains so far, though we are closely monitoring the situation,” the official said.

In response to the fuel shortage, the IRCTC has advised catering units to adopt alternative cooking methods such as induction stoves and microwave ovens wherever feasible to ensure that passenger services continue without disruption.

The officials said they were coordinating with suppliers and catering contractors to manage the situation and prevent any major inconvenience to the passengers.