As the railways look towards optimum utilization of resources, fares in premium Shatabdi trains with low passenger occupancy could be slashed soon, according to a senior government official. Railways have selected 25 such Shatabdi’s for implementing the scheme stated the official.
“Indian Railway is actively working on a proposal in this regard,” the official told PTI
A successful pilot project was launched last year, regarding the low fareson two routes, and the current decision is inspired by the same. It was noted that when the pilot scheme was initiated the earnings went up by 17 percent and passenger bookings escalated by 63 percent, stated the official.
The decision is coming at a time when railways is troubled over flexi-fare scheme and the general notion that it has led to hike in fares in Shatabdi, Rajdhani and Duronto trains.
The railways has a fleet of 45 Shatabdi’s which are one of the fastest trains in the country.
The Railways is now looking to run 100 new trains on shorter and longer routes, by reducing the layover time of trains, said the official. 25 new trains have already been introduced and 75 more will run within this year.
To compete with luxury Buses, Railways is also trying to align their fares with that of the Buses.
Layover time refers to the time a train remains parked at the termination point or the originating time. This time will be used to run trains on new routes thus optimizing resources.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal recently had announced that a detailed analysis was being carried out on layover time and the results have helped railways identify the routes on which new trains and services can be introduced.
