Insta
Flexi-Fares Out, Discounts In As Railways Plans To Make Train Tickets Cheaper
Representative Image. (Photo by Ramesh Pathania/Mint via Getty Images)
Indian Railways is nearing the final stage to dilute the flexi-fare scheme which was announced in September 2016. This is expected to bring down train fares to a large extent. Financial Express reported that Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal, is expected to take a final call soon.
Railway Board has sent a final list of recommendations to the minister. Modifications are to be introduced according to the pattern of demands for trains.
More than a hundred trains are supposedly eligible for the scheme. Almost 40 trains will lose the flexi-fare scheme, and more than 100 trains will then offer a 50 per cent discount on last-minute booking. This will be applicable four days prior to the departure date. For trains with low occupancy, a discount scheme is likely to be rolled out. The Chennai-Mysuru Shatabdi express’s occupancy shot up when the flexi-fare scheme was loosened.
Flexi-fare scheme increases the price of the train ticket as bookings grow. This has been criticised by many. For trains like Shatabdi, Rajdhani and Duronto, fare increases by 10 per cent as every 10 per cent berths are sold.
Air travel has been preferred by many since the introduction of the scheme because it is way cheaper to take a flight than a train. A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has recently criticised the scheme. The body has asked the railways to rationalise the scheme and continue it only on routes where the need arises.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
