Airfare hike benefits Railways
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The sharp increase in airfares and consequent fall in number of air travellers has come as a boon for the Railways, with even AC first class reservations going up by nearly 20 percent.
Sources in the Railways acknowledged that the rise in demand for upper class reservations has been driven mainly by air travellers, who hit by the rise in ticket prices were switching over to trains.
"What we are witnessing is a gradual shift of air travellers towards Railways and the rush for a berth in AC-first class explains it all," said a Rail Ministry official.
He said that in September alone (a non-peak month), Railways earned Rs 17.11 crore from AC-first class tickets as against Rs 13.89 crore earned during the same period last year.
Already bookings in AC-first class coaches alone have touched the Rs 100 crore mark during the first six months of the ongoing fiscal, which is a 26.45 percent jump compared to the corresponding period last year, he said.
This is in sharp contrast to a period not so long back when AC-first class coaches ran with few passengers on board.
In fact, going by the bookings for the next two months, almost all the major trains with AC-first class compartments are running to 80-90 percent capacity.
The rush is even more pronounced in Rajdhani Express trains, notwithstanding the high ticket rates.
"I have been trying with various travel agencies for a confirmed ticket to Mumbai in Rajdhani but in vain," said garment exporter Manoj Dubey, a frequent flyer. Dubey could not hide his amazement since getting a ticket in first class had never posed any problems for him earlier.
"Sometimes I even used to book a berth after boarding the Rajdhani, but things are different today," he said, saddened by the sharp rise in airfares.
The growing demand for tickets in upper classes has given the mandarins in Rail Bhawan reasons to celebrate, especially as it comes on top of what the Railways have earned in terms of business in recent times with its phenomenal turnaround.
Even Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel at a recent Cabinet meeting is said to have acknowledged that the Railways had succeeded in luring away his customers.
However, a few travel agents were quick to add that some user-friendly measures introduced like booking tickets over telephone and automatic upgradation of berths also helped the Railways.
"As a matter of fact ramping up the 139 service by incorporating several innovative features into it like booking tickets over phone and getting SMS alert about the current status of the waitlisted ticket made a big impact among the travellers," said Karol Bagh-based travel agent Deepak Saxena.
During April to September, Railways carried 14.87 crore passengers, with all the AC classes showing more growth over the corresponding period than the sleeper class coaches.
In contrast, in the airline industry, while 111.90 lakh passengers travelled between January and March, the figure dropped to 86.13 lakh between July and September.
Sources in the Railways acknowledged that the rise in demand for upper class reservations has been driven mainly by air travellers, who hit by the rise in ticket prices were switching over to trains.
"What we are witnessing is a gradual shift of air travellers towards Railways and the rush for a berth in AC-first class explains it all," said a Rail Ministry official.
He said that in September alone (a non-peak month), Railways earned Rs 17.11 crore from AC-first class tickets as against Rs 13.89 crore earned during the same period last year.
Already bookings in AC-first class coaches alone have touched the Rs 100 crore mark during the first six months of the ongoing fiscal, which is a 26.45 percent jump compared to the corresponding period last year, he said.
This is in sharp contrast to a period not so long back when AC-first class coaches ran with few passengers on board.
In fact, going by the bookings for the next two months, almost all the major trains with AC-first class compartments are running to 80-90 percent capacity.
The rush is even more pronounced in Rajdhani Express trains, notwithstanding the high ticket rates.
"I have been trying with various travel agencies for a confirmed ticket to Mumbai in Rajdhani but in vain," said garment exporter Manoj Dubey, a frequent flyer. Dubey could not hide his amazement since getting a ticket in first class had never posed any problems for him earlier.
"Sometimes I even used to book a berth after boarding the Rajdhani, but things are different today," he said, saddened by the sharp rise in airfares.
The growing demand for tickets in upper classes has given the mandarins in Rail Bhawan reasons to celebrate, especially as it comes on top of what the Railways have earned in terms of business in recent times with its phenomenal turnaround.
Even Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel at a recent Cabinet meeting is said to have acknowledged that the Railways had succeeded in luring away his customers.
However, a few travel agents were quick to add that some user-friendly measures introduced like booking tickets over telephone and automatic upgradation of berths also helped the Railways.
"As a matter of fact ramping up the 139 service by incorporating several innovative features into it like booking tickets over phone and getting SMS alert about the current status of the waitlisted ticket made a big impact among the travellers," said Karol Bagh-based travel agent Deepak Saxena.
During April to September, Railways carried 14.87 crore passengers, with all the AC classes showing more growth over the corresponding period than the sleeper class coaches.
In contrast, in the airline industry, while 111.90 lakh passengers travelled between January and March, the figure dropped to 86.13 lakh between July and September.
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