Fares for 25 Shatabdi Express trains likely to come down soon

In good news for train commuters, fares of Shatabdi Express trains are likely to be slashed. Prabhat Khabar quoted a senior government official as saying that the Indian Railways may slash fares and as many as 25 Shatabdi Express trains have been identified for the same.

The official was further quoted as saying that the same model was implemented on two routes on an experimental basis last year and that it was a success.

According to the report, of the two routes on which this model was implemented, one showed a 17 per cent rise in income of Indian Railways as there was an increase of 63 per cent in the number of commuters.

This move comes at a time when the Indian Railways is facing the heat over flexi-fare policy. It is believed that the policy has led to surge in fares of trains like Shatabdi, Rajdhani and Duronto Express.

Currently, the Indian Railways runs 45 Shatabdi trains, which is one of the fastest trains in the country.