Ferozepur division railway authorities have begun the process to reopen the refreshment room on Platform at Ludhiana railway station, which was closed for the past 10 months. The move comes in the wake of Hindustan Times report on inconvenience caused to commuters, especially the migrants and those travelling with large families or groups, in the absence of cheep 'janta khana' at the railway station.

Fresh tenders have been floated for catering contractors regarding the refreshment room at Ludhiana railway station, along with those at Amritsar and Jalandhar (all category A stations). The bid documents and detailed tender notice have been uploaded on the railway ministry website.
The bids would be received till January 4, 2013, and opened immediately thereafter, senior divisional commercial manager MM Singh said. As per the senior railway official, the refreshment room might become operational from January onwards.

Once the refreshment room reopens, passengers can look forward to freshly cooked meals and snacks at moderate prices.

Meanwhile, some prospective bidders claimed that given the rates of meals, snacks and beverages, fixed by railway authorities, the annual contract rate of Rs. 15.60 lakh for Ludhiana seemed to be on the high side.

The contractor, who earlier took the refreshment room on contractor for several years, quit after persistent losses as he was unable to recover even his input cost. The monthly lease money paid was around Rs. 30,000.