Indian Railways has approved a new fourth category of Premium Brand Catering Outlets, allowing well-known single-brand chains such as McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Baskin Robbins, Haldiram’s and Bikanerwala to operate at stations. Until now, stations permitted three types of stalls. These included tea stalls serving tea, biscuits and snacks, milk bars selling milk products, and juice bars offering juices and fresh fruit.

Premium outlets may be company-owned or operated by franchisees. However, they cannot be allotted through nomination. Space for these outlets will be allotted through e-auctions for a five-year term. Further, Zonal Railways will assess demand, available space and operational requirements before permitting. The Minimum Licence Fee will continue to follow the rules already laid out in the existing catering policy.

These new outlets will not affect the reservation quotas that cover Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, freedom fighters and their widows, and persons displaced due to land acquisition by the railways.

The introduction of premium food brands complements the ongoing redevelopment of more than 1,200 stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. Major stations in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad are being modernised, creating additional commercial space suited to branded outlets.