Four per cent hike in Southern rail fares likely

Chennai: The railway budget to be tabled on Thursday, the main stakeholders- passengers and officials in Southern Railway- are keeping their fingers crossed with regard to  budget allocation for the State as well as passenger fares.

With five major passenger forums demanding withdrawal of ‘dynamic ticket pricing’, system, senior officials in Southern Railway have already hinted of a three to four per cent hike in charges cutting across all classes. DC conducted a reality check with various stakeholders in railways ahead of the budget.

“We want the railway minister to check the pricing system, especially during festival seasons and during occasions where the price takes a three-fold rise according to the demand and the increase in cancellation charges,” said Abdul Salam, a 65-year-old retired government employee looking to board an express train from Chennai to Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Passengers complain that ‘Suvidha super-fast specials’ introduced to decongest the existing rush have become a bane as many feel that if the present situation continues, in due course, rail fares will steer past air fares.

“Railway used to be a common man’s transport mode earlier, and now in the name of revenue and operational cost, railways have started increasing the price in the same manner as that of flight charges which is absurd,” said Vishal Bellur, an auto entrepreneur based in Bengaluru.

Currently, cancellation charges have risen by 50 per cent if the ticket is cancelled any time between the last four to 12 hours and the special train rates have been raised three times the normal ticket charge up to the last one-hour of the journey. Meanwhile, senior officials in the commercial and ticketing department hinted that there might be a slight rise in passenger and freight fares to compensate the falling revenue and the demand for funding various capacity augmentation projects in the current project. However, a section of officials felt that the railway budget might revise the fare hike after May keeping in view the Assembly elections in five States.

“You can expect a five per cent hike in sleeper-class charges, 3-tier and 2-tier classes looking at the financial loss the railway is incurring currently. We can also expect a hike in charges in the suburban fares across metros in the country,” said a senior railway official in the ticketing department, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

However, a few officials felt that the decision to hike fares will be kept on hold until the Assembly elections keeping in view the electoral prospects and falling diesel prices in international markets.

“The government may keep the fare inrease in hold until May and increase the fares after that,” said a ticketing official.

When contacted, senior IRCTC officials hinted there are possibilities that the Railway minister could move IRCTC from the clutches of railways to private parties by awarding the day-to-day operation of food plazas and food courts to private players.