Rotis, dosas and biryani: Swiggy reveals what train passengers ate most this summer

Train journeys are no longer limited to pantry car meals or snacks picked up at railway stations. More passengers are now planning their meals in advance and ordering food at different stops during their journey. Swiggy said its Food on Train service has seen a sharp rise in demand this summer, with orders growing three times year-on-year between April and June 2026.

The company said its Food on Train service has expanded to more than 180 cities, while multi-station bookings—where passengers order meals at two or more stations using the same PNR—rose by over 300% in Q1 FY27.

Passengers turn to multi-stop food ordering

The growing popularity of ordering meals across multiple stations is also pushing up spending. According to Swiggy, passengers who ordered food at two or more stations spent nearly 2.2 times more than those who ordered at just one stop.

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The Bhopal-Nagpur route emerged as the most popular two-stop eating trail, with more than 1,300 passengers ordering food at both stations on the same booking. The company also said many travellers are planning their meals well in advance, with some placing orders up to four days before their journey.

Speaking on the growth story of Food on Train offering by Swiggy, Deepak Maloo, Vice President- Food Strategy, Customer Experience & New Initiatives, Swiggy, said, "Food on Train has witnessed exponential growth in the last one year and the last quarter has been no different, with a 3x YoY growth in orders. It is heartening to see the growth and consumer love for this offering across the country, with customers also booking their meals well in advance. Even in tier-4 towns and cities, customers witnessed first-time digital moments when they discovered Food on Train at a junction platform while their train paused for ten minutes. Also, the university hubs have emerged as a major contributor to the growth story as we have witnessed the highest ever surge amongst student orders during this quarter, with the last week of May recording a jump of 70% in student orders with orders peaking at Kharagpur, Kanpur, and Aligarh stations, as hundreds of thousands of engineering and university students boarded trains back to campus."

The company said emerging "India Rise" stations grew 253% year-on-year, almost twice as fast as metros. At Guna in Madhya Pradesh, 66% of all Food on Train orders came from first-time Swiggy users.

Students and smaller towns fuel growth

The summer travel season saw strong demand from students heading back to universities. Swiggy said university hubs emerged as major contributors to growth, with student orders recording their highest-ever surge during the quarter.

The company said emerging "India Rise" stations, referring to smaller towns, grew 253% year-on-year, nearly twice the pace of metros. At Guna in Madhya Pradesh, 66% of orders came from first-time Swiggy users.

Swiggy also expanded its network by adding 17 new stations this summer, including Gurugram, Udaipur, Bikaner, Davanagere, Kayamkulam, Nanded, Amravati, Shoranur, Arrah, Tadpatri and Nizamabad.

To make ordering easier, the platform introduced a "Scan your ticket" feature that allows passengers to upload their ticket, automatically detects the PNR and enables food ordering during the journey.

Rotis rule the summer menu

Rotis emerged as the biggest food trend of the season, with travellers ordering more than 4 lakh rotis on moving trains. Tawa Roti, Tandoori Roti, Butter Roti and Phulka were among the most ordered varieties.

Masala Dosa, Aloo Paratha and McAloo Tikki Burger also remained popular choices, while Chicken Biryani was the single most ordered non-vegetarian dish.

The summer heat also influenced beverage choices. Mango Shake became the preferred drink, with orders rising 10% compared with winters. Soft drink orders jumped 354%, while lassi orders doubled and ice cream orders increased 140%.

Regional tastes shape train food choices

Food preferences varied across regions. In North India, travellers passing through Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra and Bhopal preferred Roti with Curry, Aloo Paratha and Burgers.

In the South, Dosa remained a favourite, with Nellore seeing it account for more than 14% of all items ordered. Vijayawada reflected Andhra Pradesh’s appetite for biryani, with nearly one in five items ordered being a Biryani.

In the East, passengers travelling through Bhubaneswar and Kharagpur opted for Thalis, Fried Rice and rice bowls. Meanwhile, Goa-bound travellers on the Konkan route broke the national trend, with Burger overtaking Biryani as the most ordered dish at Madgaon Junction.

Among brands, Haldiram's, Paradise Biryani, A2B – Adyar Ananda Bhavan, McDonald's and KFC were the most preferred choices among train travellers.