New Delhi, March 25 Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that three incidents of assault on passengers by pantry car staff were reported in 2025.
The minister said this in a written reply to questions by BJP MP Rajeev Pratap Rudy regarding passengers' complaints of physical assault and threats after they had flagged overcharging for food and other services by railway staff vendors.
Vaishnaw said that 'RailMadad' is the Indian Railways' grievance redressal mechanism that provides passengers with an integrated platform for grievances, assistance, and inquiries.
"Through RailMadad, passengers can seek redressal through multiple channels such as the helpline number 139, the RailMadad Web, app, and SMS."
"RailMadad also allows passengers to share feedback on the resolution of their grievances," the minister said.
Vaishnaw informed the House that complaints related to overcharging of food and other catering services in trains are received through RailMadad. However, no separate data about passengers being physically assaulted or threatened by railway staff vendors after complaining about overcharging for food and other services is maintained in the application.
In 2025, the minister said, three incidents of assault on railway passengers by pantry car staff were reported, and legal action was taken by the respective Government Railway Police.
"Indian Railways serves nearly 58 crore meals annually across its trains, with complaints averaging only about 0.0008 per cent, which includes complaints related to overcharging. Following inquiries into these complaints, fines amounting to Rs 2.6 crore have been imposed over the past three years," Vaishnaw said.
Highlighting various measures taken to curb overcharging in trains, the minister said that SMSes are sent to passengers with a link to the menu and prices to make them aware of rates. Point of Sale (POS) machines have also been installed for billing and cashless payments, among other measures.