
Insect found in 'daal' served on Vande Bharat Express; passenger expresses frustration, railways respond
The post, which has since gone viral, stated: "Insect found in food during journey in Vande Bharat train dated 22 July 2025: Train no 22440 c3 53 seat No."
Following the outrage, Indian Railways' official grievance handle, RailwaySeva, responded with an apology and urged the passenger to file a formal complaint. "We regret the inconvenience! Please share the details, PNR and mobile no. You may also raise your concern directly on https://railmadad.indianrailways.gov.in for speedy redressal," their reply read.
The incident has reignited public criticism of catering standards on Vande Bharat Express, with many social media users demanding tighter scrutiny of food suppliers, mandatory hygiene inspections, and improved staff training to uphold safety norms.
This isn't the first time food safety has come under scrutiny on the Vande Bharat. In a similar episode last year, another traveler reported finding insects in their sambhar, drawing sharp reactions online. Repeated complaints of this nature have cast a shadow on the train's reputation, which has been promoted as a symbol of modern, high-speed rail travel in India.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
13 hours ago
- Business Standard
Emergency quota rule for reserving train berth tightened to prevent misuse
Indian Railways has updated rules for the so-called emergency quota (EQ) in train tickets, saying applications must be made a day before the date of travel so that there is no misuse and those in genuine need are served. A circular by the national transporter this week said the rules apply to all trains and coach classes. What is emergency quota According to a Press Information Bureau statement, berths under EQ are primarily meant for High Official Requisition (HOR) holders based on their position in the warrant of precedence, such as ministers, Members of Parliament, and high-ranking bureaucrats. Leftover EQ berths are allocated to regular passengers whose needs are deemed urgent by railway zonal headquarters. These include: 1. Medical emergencies 2. Death or bereavement in the family 3. Government duty or official work 4. Job or educational interviews Each case is assessed based on urgency and the status of the applicant. New EQ booking deadlines Under the revised norms, EQ requests now need to be submitted a day before the date of travel. Depending on the departure time of the train, the deadline for submitting requests is split into two time bands: -For trains departing between 00.00 hrs and 14.00 hrs: Submit EQ request by 12 noon on the previous day. -For trains departing between 14:01 hrs and 23:59 hrs: Submit request by 4 pm on the previous day. -Requests made on the same day as the train's departure will no longer be entertained. What if your train departs on a Sunday or holiday? For trains scheduled on Sundays or public holidays, the EQ request must be submitted on the last working day during office hours. For example, if your train departs on a Sunday, the request should be filed on Friday during working hours. Other key railway changes effective July 2025 In addition to the EQ update, Indian Railways has rolled out a series of reforms to improve transparency in ticket bookings: Chart preparation: Now done eight hours before departure; for morning trains, charts will be prepared at 9 pm the previous night. Tatkal tickets: From July 15, Tatkal tickets at PRS counters and via agents require OTP verification. Aadhaar authentication: Starting July 1, Aadhaar is mandatory for Tatkal bookings made on IRCTC's website or app. Agent restrictions: Authorised agents are now barred from booking tickets during selected hours to give priority to individual passengers. These changes are part of a broader effort by the Railways to plug loopholes, minimise touting and ensure seats go to those who need them the most.


Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Emergency quota for train ticket bookings: Know what are its new rules and how to reserve seats?
How does an emergency quota work? Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Emergency quota new rule Train reservation on holidays Indian railways major changes since July 2025 Indian Railways has a provision called emergency quota (EQ) to cater to urgent travel needs of certain categories of passengers. In a move to improve operational efficiency and reduce last-minute disruptions, the Ministry of Railways has issued a fresh circular updating the guidelines for submitting emergency quota (EQ) requests, according to an ET Online to a circular issued by the Ministry of Railways on Tuesday, passengers requesting emergency quota (EQ) seats must now submit their applications a day prior to their travel date. This revised rule is applicable to all train services across the country, reports ET to a PIB release on April 10, 2018, 'In order to meet the urgent travel requirements of High Official Requisition (HOR) holders who are on the waiting list, a limited number of berths have been earmarked as Emergency Quota in different trains and in different classes.'At the time of allotment of berths or seats, emergency quota is first allotted for self travel of high ranking official holders or Members of Parliament, etc., strictly as per their inter-se seniority in warrant of requests from other departments are also considered, the remaining quota will be allocated based on various factors such as the purpose of travel, like government duty, family bereavement, medical emergencies, job interviews, and the status of the passenger."Emergency quota request for all the trains leaving between 0000 hours and 1400 hours should reach EQ cell up to 1200 hours on the previous day of journey," the circular said."Emergency quota request for all the remaining trains leaving between 14.01 hours and 23.59 hours should reach EQ cell up to 1600 hours on the previous day of journey," it that requests received on the same day as the train's departure will not be to the circular, requests for trains departing on Sundays or public holidays must be submitted the day before the scheduled departure.'The requests for the release of accommodation in trains, for which the emergency quota is to be released on Sundays or clubbed holidays after Sundays, should be given during office hours on the previous working day,' the circular railway board has proposed preparing the reservation chart eight hours before the departure. For trains departing before 1400 hours, the chart will be prepared the previous day at 2100 hrs July 1, 2025, authorised agents will be restricted from booking tickets during specific time slots to prioritise bookings for individual July 15, 2025, all Tatkal tickets booked at computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters and through authorised railway agents will require an extra layer of verification through OTP (One-Time Password) tickets purchased via IRCTC's official website and mobile app will only be accessible to individuals who have successfully authenticated Aadhaar from July 1, 2025.


Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Indian Railways to launch online train ticket booking portal exclusively for Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha members
Indian Railways train ticket booking: Indian Railways (IR) is set to launch a dedicated online train ticket booking portal exclusively for Members of Parliament (MPs). The move aims to streamline travel arrangements and enable seamless ticket booking for both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Wednesday (July 23), Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed the development. He informed the House that the Railways is in the process of developing a software to facilitate the booking of reserved train tickets for Parliamentarians. 'The development of software for booking reserved tickets online by sitting as well as former Parliamentarians has been taken up. This will facilitate them to book/cancel the ticket online as per their convenience,' Vaishnaw said. The minister was responding to a query from Congress MP MK Raghavan, who sought to know whether the government planned to introduce an exclusive online ticket booking platform for MPs for seamless travel arrangements. According to Railways, the Members of Parliament (MPs) are entitled to travel in First Class Air conditioned or Executive class, in any train with their spouse, in any form any place to any place over the IR. They are also eligible to get one free Air conditioned two tier Railway pass for one person to accompany the MP. Spouse of MP is entitled to travel in AC First Class / Executive class from their home town to New Delhi any number of times irrespective of the fact whether the Parliament is in session or not. RailOne App Earlier this month, the national transporter introduced RailOne App. Developed by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), the RailOne mobile application is focused on improving passenger interface with railways. This new application has integrated all the passenger services including reserved train tickets, unreserved UTS Tickets via R-Wallet to Get 3% Discount, Live train tracking, Grievance redressal, E-catering, porter booking and last-mile taxi.