North Central Railway mandates Rail Neer sale at twenty one major stations

The North Central Railway has taken a major step to prioritize passenger health by making the sale of Rail Neer mandatory across twenty-one key stations starting September eighteen two thousand twenty-six. This directive addresses recurring passenger complaints about vendors supplying unauthorized bottled water brands and guarantees the availability of safe drinking water. Effective September 18 2026 the North Central Railway has made the sale of Rail Neer mandatory at 21 major railway stations across its network. The initiative aims to prioritize passenger health and ensure the availability of clean drinking water during travel. According to NCR Senior Public Relations Officer Dr Amit Malviya the decision follows recurring complaints regarding vendors supplying unauthorized brands of bottled water to passengers. Under the new directive vendors are strictly required to stock and sell Rail Neer the packaged drinking water brand produced by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. Other railway approved brands may only be sold if Rail Neer is genuinely unavailable in stock.

Covered Stations and Water Vending Facilities

The twenty-one major stations covered by this strict policy include Prayagraj Kanpur Central Jhansi Gwalior Agra Cantt Mathura Junction Prayagraj Chheoki Aligarh Junction Etawah Junction Orai Manikpur Junction Tundla Junction Mirzapur Junction Lalitpur and Khajuraho. Furthermore to provide affordable purified RO water to travellers 137 water vending machines have been successfully installed across these selected stations.

Pricing Rules and Passenger Penalties

Railway guidelines clearly stipulate that if Rail Neer is temporarily out of stock vendors are permitted to sell other approved brands only if they maintain the exact same pricing as Rail Neer. Passengers must pay 14 rupees for a one-liter bottle and 9 rupees for a 500-milliliter bottle. Passengers are strongly encouraged to report incidents of unauthorized branding or overcharging immediately via the 139 railway helpline. Vendors found in violation of these strict regulations will face heavy fines of up to 25,000 rupees.