Compensation may be given to Passengers those travelling by India's first 'private' train if the train is delayed by over an hour.
State-run Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which has bagged the rights to run two Tejas trains, is finalising plans to start the first from Delhi to Lucknow from Oct. While seeking to ensure that the base fare compares with the Shatabdi running on the same route, the public sector player is looking to bundle in more facilities, including a second meal & putting up vending machines to serve free tea & coffee to wean away customers who have shifted from railways to airlines.
An IRCTC executive explained, "While railways serves breakfast, people are hungry by the time they reach Lucknow at lunch time. So, we want to offer some snacks, which can sustain them till they finish their meeting & go for lunch".
The company is hoping to target even senior citizens, who are entitled to a 40% discount on their on rail fares, besides the add-on service. The model is expected to be replicated on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route too where the other 'private' train is to run & this train may be rolled out in mid-Nov.
Free travel insurance of Rs 50 lakh may be thrown in with the Tejas tickets apart from a burglary cover for your home while you are on the train.
The PSU executive said, "There are multiple offers from insurance companies. We are looking at them & the suggestions that are coming".
On the flip side, each train coach will come with only two toilets instead of the four that travellers are used to. The idea is to free space for service & better management of food, for which a new type of pantry is being planned.
According to IRCTC officials, there were too many toilets in train coaches. After all, airplanes came with three toilets for 190 passengers, while one coach typically has 72 seats, if operating at full capacity.
Although railways has allowed free pricing, the state-run railway ticketing outfit wants to keep fares in line with those offered on Shatabdi. At the same time, it will use the dynamic pricing model to cash in on the rush during festivals. Tickets may be offered at a discount to the base price, during the lean season. While it is banking on advertising & product launches or non-fare revenue to make up for any shortfall, IRCTC expects to break even if it runs a 12-coach Tejas at 78% occupancy, said sources.
Railway ministry is largely banking on the outcome of the IRCTC experiment to open up more routes for running similar trains in the next few years.
Source Link
Picture Source :
