Surge pricing: Shatabdi passengers paying up to Rs 115 more per seat

The decision by Indian Railways to allow surge pricing in Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains is making some of the frequent travellers feeling the pinch. Maximum ‘extra’ money paid on each Shatabdi ticket on Sunday as compared to the price before the surge pricing was Rs 115.

The tickets passengers bought for the afternoon and evening Shatabdi on Sunday had to pay over Rs 100 extra for the ticket. For a ticket of Chandigarh-New Delhi Shatabdi (12046), which departs at 12 noon from Chandigarh railway station, some paid Rs 825, and the ones who had to travel by the Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi (12012) bought their tickets at Rs 797 each, which was 10% more than they had paid till some days ago.

A ticket for Monday in the Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi (12006) that departs from Chandigarh at 6:45am will cost Rs 690 instead of Rs 605; Rs 775 instead of Rs 725 in the Shatabdi (12012) that departs from Chandigarh at 6:23 pm; and Rd 730 for the Chandigarh-New Delhi Shatabdi (12046) that departs from Chandigarh at 12 noon.

The officials at the railway station said the maximum hike in the normal Shatabdi ticket price on Sunday was Rs 115, but there was no major change in the fare for the executive class. An official also said that an increase of Rs 100 was not a big deal for a Shatabdi passenger.

The base fare for the Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express (12012) is Rs 441 and the net fare for the chair car is Rs 725, and for the executive class it is Rs 1,380 per seat.

The base fare for Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express (12006) is Rs 408, the net fare for the chair car is Rs 605, and for the executive class it is Rs 1,205.

According to the railways’ new rule on surge pricing, passengers travelling by premier trains, including Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi, now pay between 10% to 50% more on each ticket.