Kurkure Family Express Train: India's First Food Train

As I sat on the train that had been beautifully decorated — receiving a warm welcome with flowers strewn over guests, music bands around us, and even Russian cheerleaders leading the festivities — I realized I wasn’t just embarking on a regular train journey. This ride felt more like an event, a true landmark in its own right. In fact, for travelers like me, RailMitra would be a perfect companion for such a trip: using it, you can check live train‑running status, view seat availability, browse train schedules, and more. In all honesty, I’ve not heard of any other occasion where a private business chartered an entire train for a fun-filled, six-day expedition across the length and breadth of India with famous faces.

The train, appropriately named Kurkure Family Express was commissioned by Pepsico for its brand name, namkeen Kurkure. The company selected 40 families (10 per segment) in a nationwide contest. The concept was simple: trains are fun and allows families the chance to be together free of distractions such as TV, unexpected visits by relatives or the looming deadlines for office work. A family who travels together, is bound together. and Kurkure is a name to be enjoyed with loved ones and relatives.

It is true that it's much simpler said than done. The hiring of a whole train, coordinating the logistical aspects on the moving train, making the schedule, and working with railway officials and families to obtain all the clearances you can comprehend, is a huge undertaking. Particularly when famous actors such as Rocky and Mayur are the hosts throughout the day and all TV shows are to be shot on the train. Others celebrities such as Anu Kapoor Boman Irani, and others would also join the train to interact with their people in the families, and to play in order to make this one of the most memorable and cherished train trip they have ever had.

I was on an overnight train ride in the last 15 years. In the midst of a stressful work life traveling by air has become an everyday part of life. The days are gone when I could glance through the window of a train and feel as if the trees were returning and the home-cooked poori-aloo and aam ka Achaar was the norm when someone other than me opened their tiffins inside the compartment, everyone in the train will be watching the dabba, and the majority of people will offer to share their meals with you. The scenery would constantly change and it was possible to hear someone playing antakshari as background music, or an individual trying to finish their large books on the moving train. The chant of "cha the lo-cha' or somebody selling soap, chains or namkeen compelled one to immediately buy something from these stalls. When trains stopped at stations in the morning, the rush to refill water bottles or purchase hot pakoras would be the norm. The days of fun and joy are impossible on an airplane journey, and this flight was a reminder of my youth.

They Rocky and Mayur pair aren't just fantastic foodies, but they are fantastic presenters, extremely natural and a joy to spend time with. I've had the pleasure of spending moments with them in numerous occasions, but this was the longest period I have spent with them due to being confined in a train. Despite a difficult schedule, they didn't have a row of screaming screams (unlike some others but without naming them) but they made sure that they made everyone smile when they went. These traits distinguish an accomplished person from a normal person, and my respect and admiration for them only grew after this experience. Although everyone has their own definition of the benefits of success, this experience helped me understand the work that is required to achieve success.

Kukure Family Express took real excellent care of all passengers aboard. Not only the serving tray, pillows as well as the consumables. were marked, but the food served was not quality railway. Food was served in a limitless amount in bone china cutlery. I would like to see that, as a food train they had provided us with the local specialties of the regions we traveled. This would have added to the overall experience.

A train journey is never truly complete without a round of Antakshari with Annu Kapoor, who joined us to sing and share his experiences from the film world. Annu Kapoor is an encyclopedia of Bollywood lore, and in the time he spent with us, he turned the ride into a perfect “Suhana Safar” for everyone aboard. Throughout that magical journey, I kept checking the spot my train — knowing where we were and how on time (or delayed) the train was made the whole experience feel grounded, even as we floated on melodies and memories.

It is also the very first case of a person hiring an entire train. It's as well, it's the first time that someone has considered an eating train. With the increasing popularity of food tourism that is taking place in this country, I hope that Railways are aware of the increasing trend and start an eating train in the near future. This will also boost tourist industry in the country and will also offer more opportunities and motivations for families to spend time with each other.

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