JAMMU: At the Katra and Jammu train stations, the Indian Railways is transforming two abandoned train cars into restaurants with a specific theme. Old train cars are being renovated and converted into rail coach restaurants as part of a project called “Beautiful Restaurants on Wheels”. In Jammu and Katra, two rail-coach restaurants are being constructed. This is an Indian Railways programme whereby outdated coaches are transformed into dining cars. According to Jammu’s Divisional Transportation Manager, Prateek Srivastava, two distinct parties have received contracts. He said that the aggregate sales of the two AC restaurants will be Rs. 50 lakh. “Under this plan, we are offering these coaches to private parties to create state-of-the-art restaurants according to their own designs,” he stated.The coaches are already in place, and the first coach restaurant is scheduled to debut in December. ‘Annapurna’ and ‘Maa Durga’ will have been the names of the two eateries. “The transformation of a coach into a fully operational restaurant will take 90 days. According to Annapurna Restaurant owner Pradeep Gupta, it would be furnished with all necessary amenities. Similar restaurants have already been successfully opened in nine or ten of India’s busiest railway stations. “The programme is being tested across the country. According to my knowledge, it is already in use at a number of rail hubs, including Varanasi, Jabalpur, Bhopal, and Lucknow. According to him, the two eateries at the Jammu and Katra train stations would also sell non-vegetarian food and have air conditioning. According to Delhi-based traveller Surjeet Singh, visitors to Jammu are enthusiastic about the rail-coach restaurants. “It will significantly enhance the area’s beauty. The restaurant is the first of its sort in this area and provides a distinctive and diverse dining experience at the railway station, he said. It is a wonderful step, remarked Rajiv Dwivedi, who was visiting the Mata Vaishnodevi cave temple. We appreciate the government’s initiative in pursuing this. I think the meal will be top-notch.According to officials, the Food-on-Wheels restaurants operated by the Railways would have fashionable exteriors and interiors, as well as display panels offering virtual tours of several locations in Jammu and Kashmir and images exhibiting the cultural heart of Dograland.
