IRCTC has been operating several railway lounges at major stations for a few years. Two of these are located at New Delhi Railway Station — one on Platform 1 and another on Platform 16.
This review covers the lounge on Platform 16 (the first platform when approaching from the Ajmeri Gate side). I had heard the Platform 1 lounge offers a better food spread, but I visited Platform 16 due to limited time — I had roughly 20–25 minutes before my train departed.
Below is a detailed account of my experience at the IRCTC Railway Lounge, New Delhi (Platform 16).
Table of Contents
- Lounge Access
- Ambience
- The Lounge
- Buffet
- Inclusions
- Bottomline
Lounge Access
I gained complimentary access using an MMT ICICI Signature credit card for myself and an IDFC Wealth credit card for one child. The reception manager kindly allowed a second child to enter without an additional card swipe, even though the stated policy requires a separate eligible card for children above five.
The lounge displays the accepted credit cards. Cards listed include:
- IDFC Select and IDFC Wealth
- ICICI Coral, Rubyx, Sapphiro, MMT
- SBI IRCTC Platinum
- AU Altura, Vetta, Zenith and similar cards
Ambience
The lounge ambience is decent — ranging from okay to good. The space is divided into two adjacent areas near the entry. The first area provides sofa seating where food is not allowed, offering a quieter place to sit. Beyond that is the dining area, which contains the buffet but has a fairly limited spread.
The Lounge
The lounge provides accessible facilities, including a dedicated toilet for persons with disabilities, which is a welcome feature for travelers with mobility needs.
Buffet
A displayed food menu outlines the available items. The buffet area is compact and the selection is modest. Below are images showing the buffet and food layout during my visit.
Inclusions
Each eligible card swipe grants two hours of lounge access per person. Interestingly, the two-hour checkout time was written by hand on the POS slip at the reception.
For travelers without an eligible card, pay-and-use access is available at a rate of INR 341 for two hours, which includes the meal. The food quality can be described as average, and the menu appears to change daily.
If you prefer a quiet place to wait without consuming food, there is a lower charge for entry without the meal option.
Bottled cold drinks and juices are kept in a refrigerator in the dining area but are chargeable separately.
Bottomline
I did not visit the Platform 1 lounge on this trip, but based on what the reception manager shared and other reports, the Platform 1 lounge generally offers a fuller food spread and may provide hourly pay-and-use pricing (at a slightly higher rate). Platform 16 follows a two-hour pay policy.
Railway lounges are not comparable to airport lounges in terms of facilities and service; it’s best to keep expectations moderate. That said, if your station has an IRCTC lounge, it offers a more comfortable and quieter place to wait than standing on the platform, so it is worth using when convenient.
If you have access to a lounge before a train journey, spending a short while there is often more pleasant than waiting on the platform.