Rail coach restaurant to add lustre to Coimbatore Railway Junction

Coimbatore Railway Junction to have Rail Coach Restaurant with attractive decor, interior and exterior. Private entity identified to convert coach with seating and dining facilities. NINFRIS scheme issued to Zonal Railways to generate 10-20% of revenue from non-tariff sources.

The Coimbatore Railway Junction will, in due course, have an added attraction of a rail coach restaurant for passengers and other customers looking for a special dining ambience.

Preliminary works on the project have begun with the placing of an unused coach for refurbishment at a corner on the premises, and earmarking of space for parking of vehicles.

The coach, according to sources, will be renovated with attractive decor, both interior and exterior, while retaining the feel of a train inside.

As in other handful of major stations across the country, the Railways will entrust the coach with the successful bidder by way of realising licence fee, under its non-fare revenue policy, which ensures income through various sources other than freight and passenger receipts, it is learnt.

A private entity has been identified for the purpose, sources said.

Post-conversion with seating and dining facilities with visual appeal, the rail coach restaurants will continue to remain as the property of Indian Railways, sources added.

In view of the increasing budgetary requirements, the Railways had, in 1917, formulated its new non-fare revenue policy with the objective of matching the world railway systems to generate 10% to 20% of revenues from non-tariff sources.