Report on flexi-fare scheme under examination: Govt

The government today said that a committee set up to review the flexi-fare scheme in premium trains has submitted its report and it is being examined.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain said the terms of reference of the committee was to examine all options keeping in mind the interest of passengers.

"The report is currently under examination," he said.

The minister was responding to a question from D S Rathod of the BJP who had sought to know whether the government was going to cancel the flexi-fare system.

On February 2, replying to questions of some Rajya Sabha members during the Question Hour, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had said that his ministry was having a rethink on flexi-fares and bringing in a dynamic pricing system to help increase occupancy and enhance revenues.

Goyal had said that a committee had submitted the report on how to dynamically price train tickets which would also help improving profits.

The national transporter has come under criticism from some sections over the introduction of the flexi-fare scheme in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains in September 2016.

To a question today on whether the scheme had led to decline in patronage in Rajdhani trains, Gohain said 10.09 million passengers travelled in 2016-17 as opposed to 9.91 million in 2015-16. During 2014-15, 10.35 million passengers had travelled by Rajdhani trains.