Indian Railways is looking at lowering the fares of a few Vande Bharat Express trains running on short distance-routes ( from three to five hours) with low occupancy in a bid to attract more passengers and tourists, according to a Hindustan Times report.
The report stated that officials from the railways are considering the move for the trains, which are currently not running at full capacity.
The fares for the Vande Bharat Express depend on the route of the train and class of travel.
Vande Bharat trains on the Indore-Bhopal, Bhopal-Jabalpur and Nagpur-Bilaspur routes along with a few more are being reviewed and ticket prices could be reduced to increase occupancy, the report added quoting a railways official.
“According to the June-end data, the Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat service recorded just 29 percent occupancy, whereas the return journey of the Indore-Bhopal Vande Bharat Express had only 21 percent occupancy," Hindustan Times reported, quoting a railways official.
The official added that other trains such as the Nagpur-Bilaspur Vande Bharat Express, which recorded 55 percent average occupancy, and Bhopal-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express, which recorded 32 percent occupancy, are being considered for a fare reduction.
Currently, the fare on the Nagpur-Bilaspur Vande Bharat Express for the Executive Chair car is Rs 2,045 per person, while the fare for the Chair Car is Rs 1,075.
On the Indore-Bhopal Vande Bharat Express, tickets for the AC chair car cost Rs 950, and the same for the executive chair car is Rs 1,525 per person. On the Bhopal-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express the fare for the AC chair car is Rs 1,055, and the fare for an executive chair car is Rs 1,880.
Around 46 Vande Bharat Express trains have been launched across 24 states and Union Territories, so far. However, the underperforming trains can be a cause for concern for the launch of more trains in the country. “After reviewing the situation, the board believes that Vande Bharat services that run for durations between three to five hours will have more occupancy rate if their prices are decreased,” a senior railways official told HT.
The official added that most of the trains are well accepted by the passengers and are running at 100 percent capacity. The premium trains with high occupancy include Kasaragod-Trivandrum, Gandhinagar-Mumbai Central, Varanasi-New Delhi, Dehradun-Amritsar, Mumbai- Solapur, among others.
