After facing flak over the increase in fare of Suvidha Express trains, the Indian Railways is expected to review the surge pricing or "high flexi fare" norms in the premium express trains. The prices of the Suvidha Express trains touched Rs 11,230 for an AC-2 berth on the Jaipur-Yeshwanthpur route and Rs 9,395 for the Mumbai-Patna route during the festive season.
The railways are planning to discontinue the current dynamic fare structure for the premium Suvidha trains.
The fares on these trains are excessively high as railways offer up to 300 percent surge in the base fare. There is an increase in other charges across both AC and non-AC berths, which may be reduced in the coming days. The fares of the premium trains exceed air ticket prices.
As of now, only two Suvidha Express trains are operating on the Mumbai-Patna and Jaipur-Yeshwanthpur routes. While the Mumbai-Patna train operates twice a week, the latter runs a weekly service. The premium express train service was launched in 2014 on busy routes.
Costly Train Ticket Fares Exceed Air Fares: Details
According to the details mentioned on the official website of the IRCTC, the price of the 2AC ticket in Mumbai-Patna Suvidha Express trains is Rs 9,395 till 8 December.
The Jaipur-Yesvantpur Suvidha Express ticket price is Rs 11,230 for the one-way 2AC till 3 February.
A number of these premium express trains were introduced on high-demand routes to ensure confirmed tickets for passengers who agree to pay more. However, the services were reduced later after passengers started complaining about the exorbitant rates.
To combat the festival rush, the Indian Railways started running additional trains. Currently, the railways have operated 2,423 special trains during the festive season since 1 October, carrying around 36 lakh passengers.
The surge pricing of Suvidha tickets came to light when a large number of passengers started their bookings to travel home for Chhath Puja. Many people vented their anger at the increased ticket rates on the social media platform X.
However, officials have not yet announced a deadline for when the Suvidha train fares would shift to the dynamic fare structure of the Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duranto.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)