India, July 8 -- Swiggy's Food on Train expansion is a fascinating snapshot of how India's travel and food culture is evolving.
Growth & Reach
- Service now covers 180 cities across India.
- Orders grew 3x year-on-year in Q1 2026.
- Multi-station journeys surged 300% YoY, with passengers spending 2.2x more when ordering at multiple stops.
- Popular two-stop trail: Bhopal -> Nagpur, with 1,300+ passengers ordering at both stations.
- Added 17 new stations this summer, including Gurugram, Udaipur, Bikaner, Davanagere, Kayamkulam, Nanded, Amravati, Shoranur, Arrah, Tadpatri & Nizamabad.
Food Trends on Trains
- Most ordered dish: Roti (over 400,000 served).
- Other favorites: Masala Dosa, Aloo Paratha, McAloo Tikki Burger.
- Top non-veg: Chicken Biryani.
- Breakout beverage: Mango Shake (10x jump vs winter).
- Soft drinks (+354%), Lassi (+100%), Ice cream (+140%).
- Burgers especially popular among students, nearly 2x national average.
Regional Flavors
- North: Roti + Curry, Aloo Paratha, Burgers.
- South: Dosa dominance (14% of orders at Nellore), Biryani stronghold in Vijayawada.
- East: Thalis, Fried Rice, rice bowls.
- West: Goa-bound trains flipped the script - Burgers overtook Biryani at Madgaon Junction.
Brand Preferences
- Haldiram's, Paradise Biryani, A2B, McDonald's, KFC were top choices.
- Smaller towns like Guna (MP) saw 66% of orders from first-time Swiggy users.
- "India Rise" emerging towns grew 253% YoY, outpacing metros nearly 2x.
Leadership Insight
Deepak Maloo (VP, Food Strategy & CX) highlighted how trains are becoming the new frontier of India's digital food economy, with tier-4 towns and student hubs driving adoption.
This is a great example of how digital convenience is meeting traditional travel habits. It's not just about food delivery anymore - it's about reshaping the travel experience itself.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Travel Media.