Vande Bharat: The fare of Vande Bharat trains will be reviewed, preparations are being made to make it more practical
Time to Read 3 Min
The Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat train recorded only 29 percent bookings, while the return journey of the Indore-Bhopal Vande Bharat Express saw only 21 percent bookings, as per June-end data.
Railways is reviewing the fares of Vande Bharat trains with fewer passengers to make them more practical for the people. As per official data, most of the services of this semi-high-speed train are currently running at full capacity, barring a few trains with fewer passengers. Sources said that the fares of some other trains along with Vande Bharat trains like Indore-Bhopal, Bhopal-Jabalpur and Nagpur-Bilaspur Express are being reviewed. The Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat train recorded only 29 percent bookings, while the Indore-Bhopal Vande Bharat Express had only 21 percent bookings in the return journey, as per June-end data. The journey between the two cities takes around three hours and costs Rs 950 for an AC chair car ticket and Rs 1525 for an executive chair car per passenger. Sources said that the fare of this train can be reviewed. The longest journey of Vande Bharat Express trains is around 10 hours and the shortest journey is around three hours.
Fares of Vande Bharat trains of two to five hours are being reviewed
According to the source, "The fare is being reviewed to provide better facilities to the passengers of Vande Bharat trains. We have reviewed the situation and we believe that some Vande Bharat trains, especially Shorter duration trains between two to about five hours can do better in terms of bookings if their prices are reduced. We want more and more people to use these trains." "Most Vande Bharat trains are running at 100 percent capacity, but some trains are not and we are making necessary changes to ensure that they improve," a senior official said.
Nagpur-Bilaspur Vande Bharat was replaced by Tejas Express due to low bookings
Another train whose fare is under review is the Nagpur-Bilaspur Vande Bharat Express, which has an average occupancy of about 55 percent for a journey of about 5 hours 30 minutes. The general perception is that if the prices are reduced, there will be better bookings for this train as well. The fare for Nagpur-Bilaspur Vande Bharat Express is Rs 2,045 for executive class and Rs 1,075 for chair car. Due to less number of passengers, this train was replaced by Tejas Express in May.
At present, services of 46 Vande Bharat trains continue in the country
Sources said that 32 percent booking has been done in Bhopal-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express and 36 percent in Jabalpur-Bhopal Vande Bharat train. The fare for AC chair car from Bhopal to Jabalpur is Rs 1055, while the ticket for executive chair car will be Rs 1880 for the 4.5-hour journey between the two cities. The fare for AC chair car is Rs 955, while the fare for executive chair car is Rs 1790 for the return journey. So far 46 Vande Bharat Express services have reached all rail-electrified states of the country. Covering a total of 24 States and Union Territories, the Vande Bharat Express fleet is continuously growing due to its time saving feature.
