Brands
Swiggy expands Food on Train to 122 stations and widens booking time
MUMBAI: Good food clearly travels well, and millions of passengers proved it this festive season. Swiggy has expanded its Food on Train service to 122 stations across India while also stretching the pre-order window from a day to four, giving travellers more time to plan their on-board meals.
The newly added stations include Anantpur, Madurai, Alwar, Kozhikode, Khurda Road, Yesvantpur and Gonda. Swiggy said the expansion reflects its aim to make reliable meals available to passengers no matter where they travel.
The festive season from 16 October to 3 November saw passengers turn to familiar favourites while heading home. Biryani topped the national charts, followed by masala dosa, burgers, pav bhaji, margarita pizza and corn chaat. A full 35 per cent of users ordered at least one sweet with their meal, choosing indulgences such as triple chocomelt waffle, tender coconut ice cream, gulab jamun, biscoff cheesecake jar, rasgulla and black forest pastry.
Popular restaurant partners included Haldiram’s, Paradise Biryani, A2B, Hotel Aryaas, Annai Restaurant, Rominus Pizza and McDonald’s, showing that passengers relied on both iconic local kitchens and national brands during their journeys.
Swiggy VP food strategy, customer experience and new initiatives Deepak Maloo said, the festive rush highlighted how people use the service to bring the flavours of home to their train seats. He said the widened 96 hour pre-booking window will make planning meals even easier for passengers.
Food preferences varied across regions, revealing India’s diverse festive palate. Northern travellers leaned towards biryani, aloo paratha, red paprika pizza and aloo tikki burgers. In the South, dosa, curd rice, pongal, poori sabzi and idli ruled the orders. The East preferred thalis and rice bowls, while the West relished pav bhaji and vada pav.
Some riders took things further. One customer placed a single order with 45 items, and on one festive journey, 28 passengers in the same coach of the SMVT Bengaluru to New Tinsukia Special ate meals delivered at the same station.
Top ordering trains included the Garib Rath Express (Chennai to Delhi, 12611), Seshadri Express (17209), Sabari Superfast Express (20630) and Kerala Express (12626).
With expanded coverage and a longer booking window, Swiggy’s Food on Train is steadily turning rail journeys into shared dining moments, bringing passengers comfort, convenience and a taste of home at their seats.
Brands
Mother Dairy unveils 30 plus products for summer portfolio push
Ice creams, regional dairy and high-protein range drive 30 per cent growth plans
MUMBAI: If summer had a flavour, Mother Dairy is making sure it comes in at least 30. As temperatures climb, Mother Dairy is turning up the chill with an expansive product blitz, announcing a pipeline of over 30 new offerings across its value-added dairy portfolio. Rolled out in phases through the season, the line-up spans indulgence, health, convenience and regional tastes, an attempt to meet India’s increasingly diverse consumption patterns head-on.
Ice creams take centre stage, accounting for around 20 of the new launches. The brand is introducing formats such as a Two-in-One Matka and Tub, alongside a premium ‘Crafted’ range and flavours like Cream Cheese Pistachio Cone and Kulfi Cassata. There is also a clear nod to calorie-conscious consumers, with the debut of a ‘Go-Low’ range featuring variants such as Choco Almond, Shahi Mewa and Kesar Pista Tilla Kulfi.
Beyond indulgence, the company is sharpening its regional play. Products like Jamun Yoghurt and Bhuna Jeera Raita aim to tap into local flavour preferences, while Shrikhand offered in three variants targets western markets. For northern consumers, Meethi Dahi joins the mix, reinforcing a localisation strategy that goes beyond one-size-fits-all offerings.
Convenience is another key lever. Mother Dairy is expanding its UHT milk portfolio with Cow Milk and Standardised Milk in markets such as Jammu and Kashmir, catering to demand for longer shelf-life products without compromising accessibility.
On the nutrition front, the brand is doubling down on protein. Its ‘Pro’ range is being strengthened with Procurd and Propaneer high-protein curd and paneer variants positioning itself within the growing health-conscious segment while retaining its core taste proposition.
The scale of the rollout signals more than just seasonal experimentation. With expectations of over 30 per cent growth across key categories, the company is betting on innovation as a primary growth engine, supported by a mix of traditional and new-age distribution channels.
Marketing, too, is set to match the ambition. High-impact campaigns across ice creams and flavoured milk are in the pipeline, aimed particularly at younger consumers and designed to amplify summer consumption moments.
In a market where heat often dictates demand, Mother Dairy is not just responding to the season, it is trying to own it, one scoop, sip and spoonful at a time.
