Indian Railways: Big move by Modi govt as Vande Bharat train ticket prices may...

The Vande Bharat Express, which was introduced in 2019, has quickly become a popular choice for travelers on the routes it serves. This semi-high speed superfast express train is designed for medium to long-distance travel, connecting cities that are less than 800 km apart or have a travel time of under 10 hours. As of now, Indian Railways is running 136 Vande Bharat Express train services.

Passengers are concerned about the high ticket prices. However, there are reports that the government may reduce the cost of this premium service to make it more affordable for lower-income groups.

These reports have gained traction following a question in the Lok Sabha by Congress MP Rakibul Hussain. He asked Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw if the government intends to lower the fares of Vande Bharat trains to make this quality service available to more people.

Rakibul Hussain also inquired about the steps being taken to ensure that the Vande Bharat Express remains financially accessible while upholding its quality and safety standards.

In his reply Vaishnaw said that the fares of various trains/classes are based on the facilities provided in those trains. “Indian Railway fixes the fares with due consideration of the cost of service, value of service, what passengers can bear, competition from other competing modes, socio economic considerations etc. Indian Railways run various types of train services for different types of passenger segments. Evaluation and rationalization of passenger fares, including those of Vande Bharat trains, is a continuous and on-going process.”

In response, the Railway Minister mentioned that the Indian Railways has introduced Amrit Bharat services. These are fully non-AC trains, designed to offer high-quality services to a broader segment of the population, especially those with lower incomes.

The Union Minister said, “Recently IR have introduced Amrit Bharat services, which are fully non-AC trains, presently comprising 12 Sleeper Class Coaches and 8 General Class coaches providing high quality services to larger section of the population, particularly lower income groups.

"These have modern State-of the Art technology, equipped with advanced features like Semi-Permanent couplers for jerk free travel, horizontal sliding windows, foldable snack table and bottle holders, mobile holders etc.,” he said.