Shatabdi train fare could be lowered between some stations served by Indian Railways

Indian Railways could soon lower fares on select sections covered by its Shatabdi Express trains. According to a report by news agency Press Trust of India citing a senior government official, Indian Railways has identified 25 Shatabdi Express trains where the carrier looks to ensure optimum utilisation of resources. Indian Railways is "actively working" on a proposal in this regard, the news agency reported citing the senior government official. Indian Railways currently operates premium train services such as Shatabdi Express and Rajdhani Express. The development comes days after Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said the Railways had started redevelopment of 90 railway stations.1. The Railways runs around 45 Shatabdi trains.2. The carrier had last year launched a pilot project in two Shatabdi trains (between Delhi and Ajmer, and between Chennai and Mysuru) to study the impact of lowering of fares. Under the scheme, the fares were reduced between Jaipur and Ajmer, and Bengaluru and Mysuru - the sections of the route which witnessed perpetual low occupancy.2. "The move yielded positive results for us. What we did was we offered fares in these premium trains equivalent to bus fares plying on the particular stretch," the Press Trust of India report said citing the senior government official.4. The carrier has in the recent times faced criticism of its flexi-fare scheme, with the general contention that the scheme led to a spike in Shatabdi, Rajdhani and Duronto train fares.5. Indian Railways introduced the flexi fare system for premier trains Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi on September 9, 2016. Under the flexi-fare system, the base fare increases by 10 per cent with every 10 per cent of berths sold, subject to a prescribed limit.6. In Union Budget 2018-19, the government has termed infrastructure as "the growth driver of economy". For 2018-19, the government pegged Railways capex at Rs 1,48,528 crore.7. "With a focus to enhance passenger amenities at stations, Indian Railways has embarked on a mega transformation journey to redevelop 90 railway stations into world class transit hubs," Mr Goyal had said on microblogging site earlier this month.8. The Budget 2018 lays a roadmap to transform Indian Railways into "a modern, safe, affordable & comfortable mode of transport for the people", Mr Goyal had said in a separate tweet.9. An eight-member committee, formed to review the flexi fare scheme, had in January this year recommended discounted fares in trains with low occupancy.

10. One of the recommendations by the committee was to "offer discounted fare in trains having low occupancy", Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain had said in a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha.(With agency inputs)