Railways to charge fare of express trains on passenger trains to make up for the loss

The corona virus has pushed the railway into damage. The lockdown did not earn a penny, in turn costing crores of rupees. Now select trains are running, so there is a slight arrival. But the expenditure is many times more. The Railways is working hard to make up for this loss. Railway Board has started work on several options. In this, one option is to make passenger trains express. If this happens, low-income passengers will have to spend more on the journey on which they used to complete the journey before the lockdown by spending less money. It simply means that the Railway Board is going to make express passenger trains select. After this, there is a slight increase in the speed of trains, but the fare will increase more than that.

Actually, Railway Board is going to make passenger trains express. According to Railway Board sources, it has to include passenger trains running within a radius of 200 km. Railways claim that by making the express a passenger, its speed will increase, passengers will reach between stations quickly. By making the trains express, they will incur the fare of the express category, which will be an average of 50 to 60 rupees per passenger (in each category) compared to the passenger class.

Passenger trains like Bhopal-Jodhpur, Bhopal-Itarsi Vindhyachal, Jhansi-Itarsi etc. running from Bhopal Railway Division are to be included in this. Most low-income local passengers travel on these trains. According to an estimate, 1200 to 1500 passengers travel in a passenger train in a day. In this way, 6 thousand passengers travel in four passenger trains of Bhopal Railway Division in a day. Each passenger will have to pay 50 to 60 rupees more.

This loss to local travelers

Always, whenever the railway makes the passenger express train, its speed is increased. This is possible only when the small stoppage of the train is eliminated. In this way, if passenger trains become express, then they will not stop at small stations and thus the local passengers will suffer.

Option to be given as memu train

Common travelers say that before making express trains and eliminating their small stoppages, the railways will have to run MEMU trains on the lines of Bhopal-Bina MEMU. Only then will the interests of local travelers be protected.

Passenger trains are the only means for the movement of low-income locals from the beginning. They also increased the fares by making express and if we stop the stoppage then there will be problem. Railways will have to make alternate arrangements for these. – Niranjan Wadhwani, Member Divisional Railway Users Advisory Committee

The railway board will decide whether to make passenger trains express or not. Mandal will follow the instructions as received. -IA Siddiqui, spokesperson Bhopal Rail Division