A railway worker takes the ordered meal onto the high-speed train. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)

BEIJING, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Starting Monday, high-speed railway passengers in China can order takeaways online, enjoying more different food varieties, according to China Railway Corporation (CRC).

A CRC source says that passengers can now order delicious meals offered by railway operators as well as other catering brands, including KFC, via China's official train ticket booking website 12306.cn and its mobile app. They can pay directly from mobile app Alipay or WeChat Pay. The meals ordered online will be delivered to the passengers' seats by railway staff.

A demo on how to order food online via official mobile app. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)

Currently, the online meal ordering service only covers high-speed railway stations in Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, and 24 other major cities so far. Beijing, the country's national capital city, is not on the initial list.

Local dishes are included in the food lists at some stations. Passengers can order Rou Jia Mo or Chinese meat burger at Xi'an station, Henan stewed noodles at Zhengzhou Station and spicy twice-cooked pork slices at Chengdu Station. With the positive changes, travel by high-speed train will turn into a gourmet ride!

Restaurant workers deliver ordered meals to railway staff before the meals are delivered to passengers' seats. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)

Food served aboard China's trains has long been complained for its limited choices, poor taste and high prices. The move of inviting more food suppliers to high-speed trains aims at meeting passengers' growing demand for more varieties of delicious food and personality-oriented services, according to the CRC.

When passengers cancel or reschedule their traveling plans, the system will remind them to scrap food orders.

Approved restaurant brands can list their food products on the website 12306.cn and will be subject to food safety supervision by railway authorities.