South Central Railway’s Vijayawada Division and Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) jointly inaugurated ‘The Food Street’ – a swanky air-conditioned restaurant food joint near Parcel Office entrance at the city railway station on Thursday.

The restaurant is managed by Devyani International Limited which also operates many food courts at major airports in India. The restaurant is spread in 1500 sq.ft. in two floors.

“The Food Street, located at the centre of Vijayawada is useful not only for railway passengers but also for the general public as well as tourists as it serves delicious south Indian and north Indian food along with local cuisine at a reasonable and affordable price.

The restaurant is open 24 X 7. The ‘Banquet Hall’ on the first floor is a major attraction to handle mini-parties to a capacity of 100 persons,” the release said.

International status

Ministry of Railways has already come up with a proposal to accord international status to four railway stations in Andhra Pradesh. A circular in this regard was issued by the Ministry of Railways recently seeking officials of Vijayawada, Guntur, Kurnool and Guntakal stations to send proposals on or before April 10 for taking up various development works.

Vijayawada station, which is under A1 category, registers over one lakh footfalls a day.

“We have already called for bids to execute the development projects in the station.

“Food courts, shopping malls, pharmacies, budget hotels, ATMs, Internet cafes, executive lounges, cafeterias, multi-level parking, and cinema theatres are likely to come up on the station premises,” said a senior official.