The Ministry of Railways in considering to charge Rs 50-100 more on booking of lower berths. Even though the amount is not finalised, the proposal is under consideration and may be finalised soon, sources said.
It is believed that the move is being taken so that the lower berth is available for the senior citizen or those in need. But with the amount so less, the proposal does not seem to be viable. On the other hand, the ministry should reserve 10-15 per cent lower berth seats for the senior citizens in every train.
The sources also said the fare of the new trains will also be higher due to the facilities available. Tejas Express is all set to be rolled out this year and with such premium features, fares are all set to surpass that of Shatabdi and Rajdhani. The train is expected to run at the speed of 200 km/hour.
Last year, the government has introduced a dynamic pricing system on Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains under which base fares will jump by 10 per cent for every 10 per cent of seats booked on these trains, with a cap of 50 per cent hike in the original fare.
Even the rates of tatkal tickets are up with the Railways deciding to sell 50 per cent of the quota tickets using dynamic fare system. The ‘Premium Tatkal Ticket scheme’ became operational in 80 trains from October 1, 2016 and is available only for online bookings.