McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC, Haldiram’s, Subway, others to soon open outlets in Indian railway stations

If you’ve ever waited hours at a railway station and thought, “Man, why can’t we just have a McDonald’s here?” — well, looks like someone in the Railway Board had the same thought. In a pretty big policy shake-up, Indian Railways has decided to allow global and homegrown fast-food giants like McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Haldiram’s, Subway, and a bunch of others to set up shop inside railway stations.

For millions of travellers who rely on Indian trains every single day, this could be a game-changer. Imagine grabbing a cheeseburger or hot pizza before boarding instead of running around looking for water bottles and over-fried pakoras.

The new rulebook — simple but strategic

Railways has introduced a new category inside its catering policy (and it has a very serious, bureaucratic name) — Premium Brand Catering Outlet or PB C-Outlet. That’s government language for: “Yes, big brands can come in now, but we’ll decide where it actually makes sense.”

A couple of key things stand out:

• Brands won’t be hand-picked quietly. Every outlet location will go through e-auctioning — so the highest serious bidder gets the slot.
• Licenses will run for 5 years, not be permanent, so everyone has to actually perform.
• And only stations with enough demand and space will qualify — so don’t expect a Domino’s at every sleepy town station (at least not yet).

Read: Best 10 Food Franchises in India

So… why suddenly this big move?

Honestly, it’s not that sudden. Railways is upgrading more than 1,200 stations under redevelopment projects, and some of the upcoming ones look more like mini-airports than the old dusty platforms we grew up with. Commercial spaces are being planned in a much more intentional way now, not as afterthoughts.

And let’s be real — the railway ecosystem is massive:

• 2.3 crore+ passengers travel every single day.
• Footfall is practically guaranteed.
• Travellers spend time waiting, and waiting travellers are hungry customers.

From a business perspective, this is prime retail real estate that was basically underutilized for decades.

What this means for brands (and for hungry travellers)

For QSR brands, it’s honestly a jackpot:

• Constant customer flow
• Built-in visibility
• And high-impulse buying (people love grabbing snacks while travelling)

But it won’t be all smooth sailing. Railway stations are a different beast:

• Logistics at odd hours
• Huge rush during festivals
• Very limited space in some hubs
• Service speed will matter more than usual
• Still, you can see why chains are excited.

For travellers, though? It will definitely make the experience a whole lot easier. Not everyone wants a full thali before a 17-hour train ride. Sometimes all you want is a quick sandwich that won’t leak gravy into your backpack.

It won’t happen everywhere — at least not right away

There will be a selective rollout. Only the big stations — the ones being redeveloped or the ones already bursting with demand — will get these premium outlets first. Smaller cities might join later, depending on how the experiment plays out.

Also, it’s important to mention that existing reserved stalls (like SC/ST/OBC category allotments) are not being touched or replaced. The new policy simply adds another tier on top.

My honest two cents

As someone who’s been following retail and franchising in India for a while, this move feels both necessary and overdue. Indian Railways has modernised trains, ticketing, and station infrastructure… upgrading food options was just the missing piece. But I really hope brands don’t mess it up by charging airport-level pricing or shrinking menus for “railway editions.” If they keep it affordable and practical, the concept will take off. Otherwise, it’ll be another fancy idea that sounds good on paper but dies on the platform.