High-speed Tejas Express to offer fare without food also

A one-way trip from Mumbai to Goa in the high-speed premium Tejas Express, which will be flagged off on May 22, will cost Rs 2,740 with food and Rs 2,585 without food, railway officials said on Saturday.

The Tejas Express will be flagged off from Chatrapati Shivaji Station in Mumbai on May 22 by Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu at 3.25 p.m.

Railway Ministry spokesperson Anil Kumar Saxena told IANS: "We have provided two fare options in the Tejas Express, with food or without food."

"Unlike the Shatabdi Express and Rajdhani Express, passengers will have the option to avail onboard food or not," Saxena said.

According to Railways Ministry, the Executive Class fare in Tejas Express between Chatrapati Shivaji Terminal and Karmali in Goa has been fixed at Rs 2,585 without food and Rs 2,740 with food, while the fare for the ordinary chair car has been fixed at Rs 1,310 with food and Rs 1,185 without food.

The fare of the Jan Shatabdi Express on the same route without food is Rs 940.

Prabhu on Friday, while inspecting the Tejas Express hinted that the fares of the premium train would be slightly higher as compared to normal express or mail trains.

The new premium train will run five days a week between Mumbai and Karmali in Goa. During the monsoon season, it will run three days a week.

The train will depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai at 5 a.m. on every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 24 and arrive Karmali at 1.30 p.m. on the same day. It will leave Karmali at 2.30 p.m. on every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 23 and arrive Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai at 11 p.m. same day.

During monsoon season, the the train will depart from Mumbai on every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and will leave Karmali at 7.30 a.m. on every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

The 20-coach modern train has executive class and chair class with the coaches having tea and coffee vending machines, magazines and snacks tables. Tejas Express is also equipped with close circuit televison cameras for security of passengers.

Tejas Express, which will run at a speed of 130 kmph, has coaches equipped with automatic doors, Wi-Fi and LCD screens whose coaches have been manufactured at the Indian Coach Factory in Chennai.

The coaches of the new train also include other novel features like touch-less water taps, water level indicators and hand dryers and all coaches fitted with bio-vacuum toilets.

--IANS

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