Refresh @ CST

Mumbai commuters will soon be able to enjoy hot meals and snacks while waiting for their trains. The Central Railway (CR) plans to introduce state-of-the-art food plazas at important stations in the coming months.The first such food plaza was thrown open to public at CST in the waiting hall for outstation trains. Christened Re-Fresh food plaza, it was set up in a record 120 days. General Manager, CR, Sowmya Raghavan said the opening up of the Re-Fresh food plaza has fulfilled a long pending demand from passengers.“Three lakh people use CST every day and this food plaza will help commuters grab a bite as they wait for their trains. There are plans to start restaurants at other stations as well,’’ she said. The food plaza is an initiative of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd.(IRCTC).Raghavan said there will be surprise checks to ensure cleanliness and quality of food at the plaza. Re-fresh is fully air-conditioned and would remain open 24 hours. The plaza has a seating capacity of 54 and would serve both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.“The plaza will offer a variety of ethnic thalis, combo meals, snacks and desserts with a rotating menu for each day of the week,” said a Re-Fresh official. While the ground floor of the plaza serves fast food, the mezzanine floor is a cafe which also offers health foods. The restaurant will also have counters for take aways, sandwiches, bakery products and chocolates. CR officials said a similar high-end restaurant has been planned for the suburan section of CST station as well.