Travelling by bus is three-to-six times costlier than by second-class unreserved segment in trains, show data compiled by the Railway Ministry. Even when compared with the reserved sleeper segment, bus fares are expensive — ranging from marginally higher to over three times, Ministry sources said.

The data show the level of gap between the non-AC — unreserved and reserved — and bus fares; in some cases, train travel is even cheaper than a sample of consumer products.

According to the data, travelling, say, between Lucknow and Kanpur — a 73-km stretch — costs ₹20 in a general compartment and ₹45 in second-class of mail and express trains. This is a cheaper than a kg of wheat flour or sugar.

Similarly, the fares for distances of 200-320 km — such as New Delhi-Chandigarh, New Delhi-Jaipur, New Delhi-Agra, Lucknow-Allahabad, and Lucknow-Varanasi — range between ₹85 and ₹105. This is for passengers of second-class ordinary segment, which does not guarantee a seat on the train.

Effectively, people pay less for doing these distances by train than for a toothpaste (140 gm), mobile internet pack of 500 MB, a litre of refined oil, a kg of apple or detergent powder, or even a geometry box for that matter, according to data shared by the Ministry sources.

The officials were, however, tight-lipped on whether the exercise is an indication of a build-up for a fare hike for the unreserved, non-AC segment. Incidentally, the Railway Ministry has asked the Finance Ministry to make good the subsidy of about ₹30,000 crore a year that it incurs due to passenger services.

The demand came as the Railways stares at an annual recurring cost of ₹30,000 crore for implementing the Pay Commission.

By shelling out ₹140-175, which is less than the price of a kg of tur dal, a litre of mustard oil or a half kg of desi ghee, passengers can travel 440-500 km such as from New Delhi to Jammu, New Delhi-Lucknow and New Delhi-Amritsar.

For ₹210-260, passengers can travel 700-1,000 km in a second-class compartment.