Indian Railways: The Indian Railways has made a noteworthy step by deciding to lower ticket costs to pre-COVID levels, giving rail customers much-needed respite. Daily commuters who were hit with higher fares after the pandemic may appreciate this improvement.
Reviving Second Class Ordinary Fares
The Indian Railways has brought back Second Class Ordinary Fares on “Passenger Trains,” which are now known as “Express Specials” or “MEMU/DEMU Express” Trains, with effect from February 27. The post-lockdown situation, in which passengers had to pay express fares even for passenger train travel, has changed with this ruling.
Indian Railways Implements Significant Reduction for MEMU Trains
Ordinary Class fares have been reduced by roughly 50% on all Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) trains and trains with numbers beginning with “Zero” as part of the fare reduction plan. All trains that were once classified as passenger trains are now operating nationwide as “Express Special” or MEMU trains, and this fare decrease is applicable to all of those trains.
Railways Aligns Minimum Ticket Price with Express Train Standards
In line with Express Train pricing, the Railways increased the minimum ticket price from Rs 10 to Rs 30 and phased out ‘Passenger Trains’, according to an Economic Times story. Apart from the fare modifications on particular train classifications, the Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) App’s fare structure has also undergone modifications.
The Hindu Highlights Doubled Costs for Low-Income Travelers
The Hindu claimed that the days of “Passenger Trains” were over and that commuters—small vendors, daily wage earners, and other low-income passengers in particular—were now paying twice as much to ride in the same sluggish trains. As per the directives of the General Managers, Zonal Railways’ Principal Chief Commercial Managers have modified the system to modify the “Ordinary Class” tariffs.
Preventing Unnecessary Travel
In an effort to deter people from taking unnecessary or avoidable trips, the national transporter raised the fees for both passengers and short-distance trains. The unreserved cost of mail/express trains for the same distance is regulated at these tariffs.
“Covid is still a problem, and in some states it’s getting worse. Travellers from several States are discouraged from going and are subjected to screening in other locations. In a previous announcement, the Ministry of Railways stated, “A little higher price is seen as Proactive measure of Railways to prevent crowding in trains and stop Covid from spreading.”
