Rajdhani, August Kranti occupancy drops in IA8217;s fare warfare

Railway officials agree this has resulted in a nosedive in Rajdhani occupancy since July. 8220;There are no waiting lists for both these trains at either Mumbai or Vadodara,8221; Western Railway spokesperson Vinod Asthana confirmed.

8220;It8217;s not only affected the first class A/C occupancy which were higher than IA rates, but the second A/C as well,8221; another railway official told Express Newsline. 8220;There8217;s no competition, our train takes 16 hours, a flight to Delhi takes little over two hours.8221;

Agonisingly for the railways, IA extended their month-long deadline to August 15 and later further stretched to September 15. An economy class IA ticket now costs Rs 3,800, down from the earlier Rs 5,110. In sharp contrast, a first A/C on the Rajdhani costs Rs 4,180, a second A/C Rs 2,405 and a third A/C ticket Rs 1,485.

A Rajdhani express comprises around 17 coaches, one first class A/C, six second A/C and 10 third A/C coaches. The rarified and ultra-comfortable confines of the single coach first class A/C comprise just 18 berths. The clientele includes the rich and senior central government bureaucrats travelling on LTC and concessionary rates.

So it8217;s the second class A/C that continues to experience low occupancy. Like most other problems, the solution to this one too was suggested years ago and continues to languish with the railway ministry. Some years ago, the railway board proposed a twin-fare system, one for peak season and another for off season tickets. But approval has not been forthcoming. The latest reason being given is that such a major decision by the railway board requires approval of a non-existent Parliament.

8220;We have been requesting such a off-season cut of around 10 per cent as matter of policy, but this won8217;t be done immediately as it requires parliamentary approval,8221; Asthana informed.

However, railway officials said that this wasn8217;t the right time to compare the two modes of transport as this was anyway the slack season which lasts from July to October and includes February and March.

Indian Airlines had targetted passengers from rival airlines like Sahara and Jet, but they ended up hurting the railways8217; fast passenger trains. With the railways ruling out airline-like sops to the passengers, they have no option but to ride out the storm.

8220;It8217;s not possible to offer discounts as some of the tickets have been booked two months in advance,8221; Ashtana informed, saying that they were following a wait and watch policy. The railways are now waiting for the crucial Dussera season in that month to find out. That is if IA further extends its fare warfare into October.