How to Order Train Food Online in Makar Sankranti, Lohri and Pongal 2026
The arrival of January brings a wave of freshness all across India. A number of festivals such as Makar Sankranti, Lohri and Pongal are celebrated in this month. This attracts a huge number of passengers to reach their home town and celebrate these festivals with their loved ones. A common problem that passengers often overlook during this festive season is how to order train food online.
Passengers fill trains during this season as they travel home to celebrate these festivals. Heavy passenger demand overburdens pantry cars, and travellers cannot trust station vendors for quality and freshness. It really becomes a tedious task to order train food in such busy times.
RailMitra introduces one of the fastest and smoothest ways to order food in train online. With just a few clicks, you can have your food delivered right to your train seat. You can relish an endless variety of meals that bring together different regions and cuisines.
Why is it difficult to Order Train Food Online During Uttarayan Festivals
With the integration of technology to the food ordering process on trains, it has been vastly simplified. However during high stress situations like these festivities even experienced passengers struggle to get food onboard. Here are some of the reasons for this:
- Unusual Passenger load: During the time of festivals such as Makar Sankranti, Lohri and Pongal, there is very high passenger volume. Trains that usually run half empty are over burdened, with all of the seats filled and yet many passengers are standing.
- Pantry remains unavailable: Due to the high crowd there is also an unusual load on the pantry car. This high rush effectively makes the pantry car inaccessible.
- Lack of Regional Meal options: While there are many other delivery platforms to order train food, most of them don’t focus on regional cuisines and only concentrate on the most popular dishes. RailMitra is an anomaly in this sense as you can order all kinds of regional food varieties using this platform.
- Lack of hygiene and cleanliness: Pantry car food and station vendors often suffer from the lack of any health and hygiene standards. Many people have openly criticised pantry cars for poor cleanliness standards, with several videos online exposing their carelessness.
- Delay in Train Schedule: Such high stress travelling also leads to many trains being delayed. With the compromisation of train timings, online train food delivery is bound to take a hit.
Key Uttarayan Dates: Makar Sankranti 2026 Date, Lohri, and Pongal 2026
January hosts a number of different festivals across the country. Interestingly, the dates of these different dates fall in close vicinity. This is not a coincidence but reflects the deeply agrarian nature of Indian society.
January is the month in which the Sun starts moving Northwards also known as Uttarayan. All of these festivals such as Makar Sanranti, Lohri and Pongal mark the end of Winter season and also a time to harvest the crops. On the outside they might seem as different festivals but underneath their difference lies the common chord that connects them all. All these festivals are aimed at celebrating the change of the season and the harvesting of crops.
Makar Sankranti 2026
Makar Sankranti 2026 marks the date on which the Sun leaves the Dhanu (Sagittarius) zodiac and enters the Makar (Capricorn) Zodiac. The name of this festival, Makar Sankranti, is derived from this phenomenon. A significant feature of Makar Sankranti is the Kite flying. On this day elders and children fly and fight with kites alike.
Makar Sankranti 2026 date
The Makar Sankranti 2026 date is on Wednesday, 14th of January 2026. The sun will enter the Makar zodiac on this date at 03:30 PM. The most auspicious time for Makar Sankranti, also known as Maha Punya Kal, is from 03:13 PM to 04:58 PM.
Makar Sankranti Food
All over the country, Makar Sankranti food consists of a well set pattern. Items such as Sesame (Til), Jaggery (Gud), Khichdi, Rice and Lentils are a common occurrence.
Depending upon the different regions certain Makar Sankranti food items are looked upon by the passengers who are travelling on trains. These include:
- Khichdi
- Dahi Chura and Tilkut
- Til-Gul laddoos
- Chikki and Gajak
- Puran Poli
Pongal 2026
Pongal 2026 is a four day long festival celebrated most commonly in Southern India’s state of Tamil Nadu. The festival begins on the last day of Tamil month also known as Margazhi. The festival then continues on the first, second and third date of the first Tamil month called Thai. During this festival, devotees worship the Sun god for its northward movement.
Pongal 2026 Date
Pongal 2026 date starts with the Bhogi Pongal on 13th of January. This is the last day of Tamil month Margazhi. Pongal 2026 date then moves on to Thai Pongal on 14th of January which is the first day of Tamil month Thai. Thai Pongal is also the most auspicious Pongal 2026 date. This is then followed by Mattu Pongal (15th January 2026) and Kaanum Pongal (16th January 2026).
Pongal 2026 Calendar
| Event Name | Date | Importance |
| Bhogi Pongal | 13th January, 2026 | Focuses on cleaning homes and discarding old items to welcome new beginnings |
| Thai Pongal | 14th January, 2026 | Dedicated to worshipping the Sun God and preparing Pongal using freshly harvested rice |
| Mattu Pongal | 15th January, 2026 | Honours cattle for their role in agriculture and rural livelihood |
| Kaanum Pongal | 16th January, 2026 | A day for family gatherings, outings, and strengthening social bonds |
What is Pongal Kolam
Pongal Kolam is an important part of celebrating this festival. Kolam is a type of Rangoli artwork made primarily with rice powder. Artists create the patterns using specific geometric shapes, especially as an offering to the deity.
Pongal Food
Pongal food is an integral part of the festival. The word Pongal itself means “boiling over” or “overflow” and is also the name of a popular dish. Here are some of the popular Pongal Food that train travellers usually crave for:
- Sakkarai Pongal
- Ven Pongal
- Medu Vada
- Payasam
Lohri 2026
Lohri 2026 is another popular festival dedicated to the Northward (Uttarayan) movement of the Sun. This festival is popular in the Indian regions of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. In fact, Lohri 2026 is an official holiday in the mentioned states.
Lohri 2026 can be distinctly identified with the huge bonfire. After the tiring Rabi cultivation season has commenced, Hindus and Sikhs gather around a huge bonfire singing and dancing. This festival has this unique feature which has been depicted in several movies and folk songs.
Lohri 2026 Date
Lohri 2026 date lies one day before the date of Makar Sankranti. In 2026, Lohri will be celebrated on the 13th of January.
How to Order Train Food Online This Festive Uttarayan Month
You can easily order train food with the fast and reliable RailMitra platform, which can be accessed through the website or the dedicated Railway app in Android as well as iOS.
- Go to RailMitra.com or install the application.
- Select Food in train options
- You can order via any of the two methods: PNR Method or Train No. method.
- PNR Method: Enter 10 digit PNR Number and click Order Now.
- Train No. method: Enter Train Name/ Number, Enter Boarding Date and click on Order Now. Enter the Boarding Station.
- Select the station where you want to order train food.
- Select the restaurant and add meals to your Cart.
- Click on View Cart and Proceed.
- Enter Customer Details and Payment Options.
- Apply Coupon Codes (if any).
- Hit Place Order
Your food in train will be delivered at the station of your choosing.
Festival Special Train for the Uttarayan
Uttarayan festivals such as Makart Sankranti, Lohri and Pongal attract a huge number of travellers on Indian railways. This creates a unique traffic on the trains. To tackle this, railways have announced several festival special train.
Here is a short description of some of the festival special train running on this occasion:
- South Central Railways (SCR) has announced 150 festival special train on this occasion. Most of these trains connect the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and a few adjoining states. South Central Railway will operate two special trains (07097/07098) on the Charlapalli–Anakapalle route and two more (07140/07141) on the Charlapalli–Tiruchanur route.
- In the view of Pongal 2026 festivities, Southern Railways has also announced many festival special train such as: Mangaluru-Dr MGR Chennai Central-Mangaluru Express Special (Train No. 06126/06125), Tirunelveli-Chengalpattu-Tirunelveli Superfast Special (Train No. 06156 / 06155), Kanniyakumari–Tambaram-Nagercoil Express Special (Train No. 06054/06053), Erode–Sengottai-Podanur Express Special (Train No. 06025/06026), Podanur–Dr MGR Chennai Central-Podanur Express Special (Train No. 06024/06023)
- East Coast Railway has also announced festival special train between Visakhapatnam to Secunderabad train route and between Gorakhpur to Prayagraj.
Travel Tips for a Stress-Free Festive Journey
Passengers travelling to their home for Uttarayan festivities find that train journey is the most dependable method of transportation. However, due to the high crowd rush, train journey can often be far from comfortable. However, you can prevent this by being aware and informed about the different train information.
Here are some of the tips that will make your Uttarayan train journey a smooth affair:
Pre-order your meals:
Festive travel is an amazing experience, until the crowd hits you. In such a situation it is difficult for even the experienced travellers to order train food. It is thus better to prebook your food on the train. Especially if you are travelling with your family or in a group, it is advised that you place a group food order on train.
RailMitra orders a convenient option to book a group or big meals on train. We also provide pure veg food in train so that you can order according to your festival requirements.
Check PNR Status:
If you have booked a train and did not get a confirmed status, then it is advised that you do a PNR Status check. Many times, the railway system confirms Waiting List and RAC tickets when enough passengers with confirmed tickets cancel their reservations. You can check your real time booking status with a timely PNR Status check.
Look for a live train location:
If you are boarding a train it is important to know the live location. Without this information you can reach the station too early or too late. You can check the live location of your train using the live running status service at Raimitra.
Book your accommodation in advance:
If you are staying with your family, your accommodation is already sorted. However, if you are travelling to a new city, you should book your accommodation in advance. Due to high rush you might not be able to make your bookings at the last minute.
Conclusion
The festivals we celebrate are more about the past than the present. Festivals are not just a time to celebrate and enjoy but also a time to reflect and introspect. Events like Makar Sankranti, Lohri and Pongal offer an opportunity to understand how culture and tradition connect this vast country through a common thread.
India is a diverse country with varied languages, food habits, customs and culture. Yet there is a unique underlying current that connects us all. People across different parts of the country celebrate this unique Uttarayan event, when the sun starts moving northward, under different names and traditions. However the underlying principle remains the same. Respect for the farm products, Sun, animals and a deep love for food.
If you are travelling this season, do not forget to order train food online with RailMitra and make your journey a truly memorable and happening one.
FAQs to Order Train Food for Uttarayan Festivals
Q: When is Lohri 2026?
A: Lohri 2026 will be celebrated on Tuesday, 13th of January 2026.
Q: Why we celebrate Lohri?
A: We celebrate Lohri to mark the end of Winter season, harvest of Rabi crops and northward movement of the sun also called Uttarayan.
Q: Why Makar Sankranti is celebrated?
A: Makar Sankaranti is celebrated as the Sun enters the Makar (Capricorn) Zodiac indicating that winter has now ended and longer, warmer days are ahead.
Q: When is Makar Sankranti in 2026?
A: Makar Sankranti 2026 will be celebrated on Wednesday, 14th of January 2026.
Q: How to celebrate Makar Sankranti?
A: Makar Sankranti is celebrated by taking a holy dip in the rivers, doing Puja, flying Kites amd enjoying Sesame (Til) based delicacies and Khichdi.
Q: Which colour we should not wear on Makar Sankranti 2026?
A: Usually, it is advised that we should not wear Black coloured clothes on Makar Sankranti 2026 as it is considered an inauspicious colour.
Q: What is the first day of Pongal known as?
A: The first day of Pongal is known as Bhogi Pongal.
Q: What is Pongal?
A: Pongal is a winter harvest festival celebrated primarily in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. It is a 4 day event marking devotion to the Sun god, often accompanied by the beautiful Pongal Kolam and tasty delicacies made out of rice and lentils.
Q: When is Pongal?
A: Pongal 2026 will be celebrated from 13th of January 2026 to 16th of January 2026.
Q: Where is Pongal festival celebrated?
A: Pongal is primarily celebrated by the southern state of Tamil nadu and also in the adjoining states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and wherever the Tamil diaspora is residing.