Zomato has deepened its footprint in India’s booming train food delivery segment by partnering with MakeMyTrip (MMT), the country’s largest online travel aggregator. The new collaboration allows passengers booking train tickets on the MMT app to order meals at 130+ railway stations from over 40,000 restaurants on Zomato—delivered directly to their seats using real-time train tracking via MMT’s ‘Live Train Status’. This marks a major step for both brands following a strong response to a soft launch earlier this year.
Since becoming an authorised IRCTC partner in 2023, Deepinder Goyal-led startup has already served over 4.6 million train orders at 130 stations, positioning itself as a major player alongside IRCTC E-catering and Travelkhana, who together with Zomato account for over half the $500 million online train food ordering market. Industry data shows daily e-catering volumes crossed 90,000 passengers in FY25, with the segment growing at 66% YoY and a projected 15% CAGR until 2033.
Zomato’s service lets passengers pre-book meals up to seven days ahead using PNR, with customisable cuisine and delivery timing, providing convenience for both long-haul and business travellers.
Who Leads Train Food Delivery — The Fast-Moving Competitive Landscape
While IRCTC E-catering is still seen as the backbone of the sector—offering direct partnership with thousands of restaurants—Travelkhana pioneered the model and shares a large chunk of the market. Zomato’s aggressive expansion, digital user base, and advanced logistics have quickly made it a formidable challenger, delivering more than 10 lakh train meals in a year and using proprietary tech for order management and geo-located delivery. Industry experts now see Blinkit’s Parent Firm as a co-leader with IRCTC, with Travelkhana providing strong regional competition, especially in northern and western railway zones.
MakeMyTrip’s Strategic Moves and Trip.com Share Reduction
On the corporate front, MakeMyTrip is executing a historic $2.5–3.2 billion fundraising via share and convertible bond sales to repurchase Class-B shares from Shanghai-based Trip.com Group—drastically reducing Trip.com’s voting power from over 45% to just under 20%, and slashing its board nomination rights from five seats to two. This move responds to growing calls in India to reduce exposure to Chinese corporations in sensitive sectors, especially after recent India-Pakistan border tensions.
The restructuring strengthens MMT’s independence and market positioning, with the newly raised capital directed toward digital expansion, brand partnerships (like with Zomato), and enhancing travel and e-catering services.
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In summary, Zomato’s expansion through MMT’s booking platform unlocks new scale in India’s fast-growing train food delivery market, presenting a formidable challenge to incumbents IRCTC and Travelkhana. Meanwhile, MMT’s strategic stake repurchase from Trip.com not only fortifies its independence, but also aligns its business with India’s evolving regulatory and consumer landscape.
