App to allow train passengers to order food delivered to seat

Rail passengers will soon be able to order food and drink delivered to their seat using their mobile.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) said it will be first UK’s first train operator to offer such a service when it launches a trial next month.

The Let’s Eat – At Your Seat app will allow customers to order refreshments without having to visit an onboard shop.

A survey of 750 people commissioned by LNER suggested that 40% want to use digital ordering and payment technology to minimise physical contact and enable social distancing.

The operator’s head of catering Richard Judge said: “We are always looking for new ways to provide excellence in our customer experience onboard and this new at-seat service will allow us to extend our food and drink offer to customers from the comfort of their own seat.

“Customers in both standard and first class will be able to browse the menu in their own time and order at their own convenience, enhancing their onboard experience and improving their journey with us.”

If the trial is successful, the service could be rolled out across LNER’s entire fleet later this year.

The operator’s onboard shops have been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic but reopen from Thursday to offer a limited range of food and drink for sale by contactless payments only.

It will also resume complimentary catering for first class passengers.

LNER is owned and overseen by the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort.