Railways mulls airline-type dynamic pricing with discounts on train tickets

Piyush Goyal said that in 2018, Railways will focus mainly on the safety of passengers

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said that Indian Railways is studying a dynamic pricing model, with discounts on train tickets as offered in airlines.

"We are studying a model under dynamic pricing, where we would also give discounts on train tickets, just the way in which it is offered in airways," Goyal told reporters during a day-long brainstorming session of railways titled Sampark-Samanvay-Samvad (connection, coordination and conversation) here.

He also asked why flexi-fares should only be meant for the price increase in rail tickets.

"Just like airlines and hotels, where a person gets discount while booking at last minute, it should also offer discounts on the routes with relatively low occupancy," he stressed.

"We are exploring this possibility and as the Chairman Railway Board Ashwani Lohani has come from Air India, he is studying the same," Goyal said.

The Minister said that in 2018, Railways will focus mainly on the safety of passengers.

"We are committed to the security of our passengers and we are thinking of providing internet connectivity and CCTV on trains," the Minister said.

He also said that discussions are on to provide CCTV on all trains across India.

To connect all the CCTVs he said that railways will provide Wi-Fi connectivity at every station.

Stressing on "sweating" of rail assets to use it to its fullest capacity, Goyal said, "I have thought to sweat the assets of railways, the way in which it is carried out in airlines.

"In airlines, we see the maintenance of an aircraft is completed within 30 minutes and it is made ready to go on another journey. In the same way, I want the railway rakes to be utilised to full capacity," he said.

"For example, if a Rajdhani rake reaches Mumbai after a journey of 11 hours, then it can be maintained and cleaned by 22 teams in 30 minutes and again made fit to go on another journey of two or three hours, besides its original return journey," he said.

The Minister was replying to a question on exploring the possibility of Rajdhani Express train making a round trip within 24 hours, with half-an-hour gap for inspection at either end, to maximise utilisation of such rakes.

The Minister said that railways will utilise the Nirbhaya fund for installing CCTVs at over 983 railway stations across the country.

"By December 2018 we are hopeful of installing them," he said.

He also said that railways will take 2018 as a year where it will collectively fight against atrocities against women and children, especially human trafficking.

"We will do this across all the divisions of railways," Goyal added.

The meeting is to also deliberate on how to improve punctuality, comfort, safety and aesthetics in railway operations.