As Railways resumes normal services, ticket fare set to come down by 15%

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Train travel is likely to cost less, with the Indian Railways resuming normal services, according to a news report.

Passenger fares may come down by 15%, the Business Standard reported, quoting unnamed officials.

Restoration of cooked meals services and over-the-counter ticket sales may take longer, the report added.

The special trains, introduced during the pandemic, are being phased out in favour of normal services and this would result in a 15% reduction in passenger fares, the report quoted a senior Rail Ministry official as saying. The fares of 1,700 special trains will be reduced.

Temporary limits on items like bed rolls, dining services and concessions will remain in place despite changes in prices.

passenger faresThe Railways transported 1.18 billion people in the first six months of FY22, up from 69.88 million in the same period last year, when the country was shut down. Passenger earnings were 15,434.18 crore in FY22, up from 1,258.74 crore until September 2020.

In terms of financial growth, official data shows that, as compared to the first quarter of 2021-22, the second quarter results show a sharp increase of 113% in earnings from the Indian Railways’ important passenger segment.

The Railways resumed normal services approximately 20 months after operations were disrupted by Covid-19.

“…Ministry of Railways have decided that all regular Time Table Trains which are presently operating as MSPC [Mail/Express Special] and HSP [Holiday Special] train services… shall be operated with regular numbers and with fare and categorisation as applicable,” the Railways had said.

After stopping passenger services in March 2020 due to Covid-19 spread, it resumed services in May 2020 in a phased manner. Most trains were operating as ‘special trains’ and ticket prices were higher than regular trains. There was no concession for senior citizens on these trains.