(Representative image)

CHENNAI: Southern Railway has quietly introduced Premium Tatkal (PT) quota – wherein ticket prices increase dynamically as availability decreases – in a whopping 100 trains since April 29, without any public notification or press release. PT quota is now implemented in almost every popular daily train, information sourced through an RTI application filed by TOI shows.

PT has been opposed by passenger associations as tickets under the quota are priced at up to three times the regular fare. Up to 30% of tickets in every train are under the Tatkal quota, of which 50% are slotted under PT quota. This means that in 125 trains, up to 15% of all tickets can be priced anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the regular fare. For instance, the fare for a sleeper class ticket on Chennai-Madurai Pandian Express, which is Rs 315, can go up to Rs 900 under the PT quota.

The introduction of PT on such a huge number of trains was discreetly done, with several officers in the commercial department not being aware of it, enquiries by TOI reveal. “Announcing it to the public will lead to protests. This is why it has been surreptitiously done during the summer rush season,” a top official involved in ticketing said, requesting anonymity.

The change in policy has come only in late April, the RTI reply shows. Data shows that PT quota was introduced in eight trains in 2014, four trains in 2015, 11 trains in 2016 and two in 2017 till March 31.

A member of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) said that a section of commercial managers had resisted introducing PT quota in many trains due to its unpopularity.

As a public body affecting lakhs of citizens, Southern Railway should maintain transparency in such issues, said T Sadagopan, a consumer activist from Pattabhiram. Southern Railway’s official spokesperson PA Dhananjeyan was unavailable for comment.

