Rlys' biggest food plaza will open in Tambaram
Siddharth Prabhakar
|
Chennai
|
By the end of this week, Tambaram station, the new coaching terminal being built for Chennai, will have an important passenger amenity that even Chennai Central lacks -a major food plaza with vegetarian, non-vegetarian and fast food dishes.Touted as the country's biggest food plaza (by area) within a railway station, it will be inaugurated by railway minister Suresh Prabhu when he visits the city this weekend.
Unlike the major food plaza at Chennai Central, the one at Tambaram got around bureaucratic tangles regarding supply of electricity. The Tambaram food court will spread across 12,000sqft. As many as 600 people can dine in its restaurants at any time.
Indian Railways will earn close to `50 crore in licence fees from the project over the next 12 years.
Along with brands like Saravana Bhavan, Adyar Ananda Bhavan and Madras Coffee House, international fast food chain McDonalds is set to open its first stall in a railway station in the plaza.Another local player, Madurai Kumar Mess, has also been roped in. Separate counters selling Rail Neer water bottles and juice stalls will also be available. The three storey building on the GST Road side will be fire-proof with water sprinkler systems, said N Gopinathan, chief project consultant of JS Catterers, the licencee.
For the first time, two huge cold storages for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food products have been installed in a railway station, an official said.
The outlets will be in three locations -a threestorey structure located behind the bus stand on GST Road on the western side, a two-storey structure beside the parking lot on the eastern side, and a small counter in the concourse. The restaurants in the first two structures will be open to people outside the railway station as well.
“The brands have been chosen carefully to cater to the college-going crowd on the eastern end. On the western side, the restaurants will cater to families, especially those who like the cuisine of south Tamil Nadu,“ Gopinathan said.
Officials of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which issued the contract, said they expect around 1 lakh customers daily. The station records 50,000 footfalls a day, which is likely to go up once the station is converted into a coaching terminal, an official said.
Unlike the major food plaza at Chennai Central, the one at Tambaram got around bureaucratic tangles regarding supply of electricity. The Tambaram food court will spread across 12,000sqft. As many as 600 people can dine in its restaurants at any time.
Indian Railways will earn close to `50 crore in licence fees from the project over the next 12 years.
Along with brands like Saravana Bhavan, Adyar Ananda Bhavan and Madras Coffee House, international fast food chain McDonalds is set to open its first stall in a railway station in the plaza.Another local player, Madurai Kumar Mess, has also been roped in. Separate counters selling Rail Neer water bottles and juice stalls will also be available. The three storey building on the GST Road side will be fire-proof with water sprinkler systems, said N Gopinathan, chief project consultant of JS Catterers, the licencee.
For the first time, two huge cold storages for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food products have been installed in a railway station, an official said.
The outlets will be in three locations -a threestorey structure located behind the bus stand on GST Road on the western side, a two-storey structure beside the parking lot on the eastern side, and a small counter in the concourse. The restaurants in the first two structures will be open to people outside the railway station as well.
“The brands have been chosen carefully to cater to the college-going crowd on the eastern end. On the western side, the restaurants will cater to families, especially those who like the cuisine of south Tamil Nadu,“ Gopinathan said.
Officials of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which issued the contract, said they expect around 1 lakh customers daily. The station records 50,000 footfalls a day, which is likely to go up once the station is converted into a coaching terminal, an official said.
No comments:
Post a Comment