Premium pricing: Tatkal tickets for 80 popular trains just got more expensive

New Delhi: In order to increase the revenues, the Indian Railways has decided to sell Tatkal tickets at a higher rate. Passengers buying Tatkal tickets for the Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani and 80 other trains will have to shell out more money starting Friday.

Half of the tatkal tickets on 80 trains have become costlier with the railways deciding to partially implement the dynamic fare system under which charges will depend on demand.

The decision, clearly aimed at mopping up more revenues by the cash-strapped railways, comes in the midst of festival season when there is a big rush of train travellers.

“It has been decided that 50 percent of the existing tatkal quota ticket shall be sold under dynamic fare scheme,” said a senior Railway Ministry official Thursday.

As per the scheme, 50 percent of tatkal quota tickets would be sold under the existing system and the subsequent 50 percent under ‘premium tatkal’ quota of dynamic pricing.

It will mean more the demand, more the cost.

The ‘Premium Tatkal Ticket’ scheme will be applicable to 80 trains from October one and like Premium train, the scheme will be available online only.

Railway Board Member (Traffic) D P Pandey said, “The Premium Tatkal ticket scheme has been launched for 80 popular trains. All zones have been asked to identify five popular trains in their respective zone.

“We will see the response and then we will decide on extending the scheme to other trains.”

He emphasised that only 50 percent of the tatkal tickets will be sold under the dynamic fare system while the rest will be sold on regular tatkal fare basis.

There is tremendous rush for tickets during the festive season as passengers prefer to travel to their home towns for celebrating Dusshera and Diwali.

However, railways has described the scheme as a preventive measure to deal with the menace of touts.

“There were reports of genuine passengers being fleeced by touts. This will help facilitating needy passengers to get tickets,” the official said.

The scheme, applicable on selected trains, will increase the prices of tatkal tickets and as an end result the train fare.

Northern Railway has identified five trains including Saptakranti Express, two Mumbai Rajdhani trains and Vaishali Express to implement Premium Tatkal scheme.

Some trains which have been identified for implementation of the scheme are Hyderabad-New Delhi Andhra Pradesh Express, Hyderabad-Hazrat Nizamuddin Dakshin Express, Secunderabad-Howrah Falaknuma Express, Kacheguda-Bangalore Express and Secunderabad-Patna Express.

The tatkal scheme currently covers around 2677 trains.

According to railway figures, around 1.71 lakh seats, of the 11.57 lakh available, are up for booking under the tatkal scheme.

It is also a prominent source of income for the Railways, raking in about Rs 1000 cr last year.

“The scheme has been launched to deal with the problem of touts. There were reports of genuine passengers being fleeced by touts. This will help facilitating needy passengers to get tickets,” a senior Railway Ministry official said.

The scheme, applicable on selected train, will increase the prices of tatkal tickets and as an end result the train fare.

Railways is also running 50 premium trains on dynamic fare system, like flights.

It had increased tatkal charges last year in April by ten percent of the basic fare for reserved second class sitting and 30 percent of basic fare for all other classes.

NDA government has increased train fares of all classes by 14.2 percent on June 25.

PTI