Pay more for confirmed AC berths on special non-stop train to Delhi
The Western Railway will introduce dynamic pricing of fares for special AC trains to be run without halts between Mumbai and New Delhi this month-end.
By Somit Sen, TNN | Updated:
MUMBAI: The Western Railway will, for the first time in the country, introduce dynamic pricing of fares for special AC trains to be run without halts between Mumbai and New Delhi this month-end. This means you can pay a premium fare (which will be higher than the normal AC fare) and get an assured berth in 2AC and 3AC coaches.
"The concept is similar to the dynamic pricing of airline and bus fares (especially Mumbai to Goa) during the festive and peak seasons. The prices of railway AC tickets were constant throughout the year. But this is for the first time that we will hike our ticket prices for festive occasions and for special trains which will run from point to point," said a senior WR official.
On an experimental basis, the WR will ply the first such special train between Mumbai and New Delhi on December 26, 29 and on January 1.
Sources said the trains will leave Mumbai Central at 4pm and reach Delhi at 7.55am the next day. The coaches will be similar to the Rajdhani—the only difference being that it will run from Mumbai to Delhi without any halts (like Duronto).
The tickets will be available only on the Internet. "Tickets will be full fares and there won't be concessions for children, etc," an official said.
Bookings will begin from Saturday on the IRCTC website. The price will not be fixed and will vary depending on demand. "We will be able to provide better services and manage the demand through pricing," said WR chief spokesperson Sharat Chandrayan. Another senior official said that the prices of Goa buses usually went 3 to 4 times up during the festive season." A Rs 3,000 air ticket is available for Rs 10,000 during the festive rush. So, we decided to introduce a similar concept for trains, but one will have to book an e-ticket. There will be no refund or cancellation," the official said.
The Mumbai-Delhi trains will be run initially, and the dynamic prices for confirmed AC tickets will be applied on other routes in near future, sources said.
"The concept is similar to the dynamic pricing of airline and bus fares (especially Mumbai to Goa) during the festive and peak seasons. The prices of railway AC tickets were constant throughout the year. But this is for the first time that we will hike our ticket prices for festive occasions and for special trains which will run from point to point," said a senior WR official.
On an experimental basis, the WR will ply the first such special train between Mumbai and New Delhi on December 26, 29 and on January 1.
Sources said the trains will leave Mumbai Central at 4pm and reach Delhi at 7.55am the next day. The coaches will be similar to the Rajdhani—the only difference being that it will run from Mumbai to Delhi without any halts (like Duronto).
The tickets will be available only on the Internet. "Tickets will be full fares and there won't be concessions for children, etc," an official said.
Bookings will begin from Saturday on the IRCTC website. The price will not be fixed and will vary depending on demand. "We will be able to provide better services and manage the demand through pricing," said WR chief spokesperson Sharat Chandrayan. Another senior official said that the prices of Goa buses usually went 3 to 4 times up during the festive season." A Rs 3,000 air ticket is available for Rs 10,000 during the festive rush. So, we decided to introduce a similar concept for trains, but one will have to book an e-ticket. There will be no refund or cancellation," the official said.
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The Mumbai-Delhi trains will be run initially, and the dynamic prices for confirmed AC tickets will be applied on other routes in near future, sources said.
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