EASY ON THE POCKET
Tickets for Coimbatore-Salem stretch on Shatabdi Express to be cheaper
Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com
Chennai:17.10.2018
In order to boost patronage on Shatabdi Express, Southern Railway has decided to slash rates for journeys between Coimbatore and Salem on two services. The reduction in fares would be on train numbers12243 and 12244 on an experimental basis for six months.
Currently, a Coimbatore-Salem ticket, excluding catering charges, dynamic fare and GST, costs ₹370 and with other charges, it costs ₹550- ₹600 for the164-km distance.
A September 24 railway board circular allowed Southern Railway to slash the price to ₹345, excluding catering charges and GST, but said the flexi fare system would not be applicable.
Railway sources said they sought a further reduction to around ₹300 to make it competitive in comparison with bus tickets.
“Compared to buses, people prefer trains, especially a premium service like Shatabdi that runs at a speed of 70 kmph. The comfort offered by a train is better than that of a state transport or private bus. However, pricing of the ticket is only reason driving people away from trains,” a senior official said.
Seats on Shatabdi Express trains are going empty mainly because of the high fare. This is a problem at the all India level.
As a trial, a similar exercise was carried out on the Bengaluru-Mysuru stretch of the Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru Shatabdi Express. Railways found there were many takers for the Chennai-Bengaluru stretch, but not as many for the last leg. This was because the tickets were costlier than an airconditioned bus and no major difference in journey time.
Reduction in ticket price for the Bengaluru-Mysuru stretch resulted in 63% growth in passenger bookings on the section, railway sources said.
The Railway Board has also advised Southern Railway to conduct a fortnightly review of the utilisation of the seats on the Salem-Coimbatore section after bringing in this reduction.
Similar proposals should also be introduced in other trains after coming up with detailed proposals, it said.
Tickets for Coimbatore-Salem stretch on Shatabdi Express to be cheaper
Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com
Chennai:17.10.2018
In order to boost patronage on Shatabdi Express, Southern Railway has decided to slash rates for journeys between Coimbatore and Salem on two services. The reduction in fares would be on train numbers12243 and 12244 on an experimental basis for six months.
Currently, a Coimbatore-Salem ticket, excluding catering charges, dynamic fare and GST, costs ₹370 and with other charges, it costs ₹550- ₹600 for the164-km distance.
A September 24 railway board circular allowed Southern Railway to slash the price to ₹345, excluding catering charges and GST, but said the flexi fare system would not be applicable.
Railway sources said they sought a further reduction to around ₹300 to make it competitive in comparison with bus tickets.
“Compared to buses, people prefer trains, especially a premium service like Shatabdi that runs at a speed of 70 kmph. The comfort offered by a train is better than that of a state transport or private bus. However, pricing of the ticket is only reason driving people away from trains,” a senior official said.
Seats on Shatabdi Express trains are going empty mainly because of the high fare. This is a problem at the all India level.
As a trial, a similar exercise was carried out on the Bengaluru-Mysuru stretch of the Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru Shatabdi Express. Railways found there were many takers for the Chennai-Bengaluru stretch, but not as many for the last leg. This was because the tickets were costlier than an airconditioned bus and no major difference in journey time.
Reduction in ticket price for the Bengaluru-Mysuru stretch resulted in 63% growth in passenger bookings on the section, railway sources said.
The Railway Board has also advised Southern Railway to conduct a fortnightly review of the utilisation of the seats on the Salem-Coimbatore section after bringing in this reduction.
Similar proposals should also be introduced in other trains after coming up with detailed proposals, it said.
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