This story is from September 17, 2017

Vistadome fare on day 1 costs more than flight ticket

Fare structure of the Vistadome coach, that will be introduced on Dadar-Madgaon Janshatabdi Express from Monday , may prove to be a deterrent for passengers as airfares are comparatively cheaper. Also, taking a flight will cut through the travel time.
Vistadome fare on day 1 costs more than flight ticket
MUMBAI: Fare structure of the Vistadome coach, that will be introduced on Dadar-Madgaon Janshatabdi Express from Monday , may prove to be a deterrent for passengers as airfares are comparatively cheaper. Also, taking a flight will cut through the travel time.
Indian Railways has decided to keep the fare structure of the coach similar to that of the executive chair car. The fare for Mumbai-Madgaon is fixed at Rs 2,235 per person.
The cost of flight tickets on September 18, the day the coach is being attached to the train, is Rs 1,845 (SpiceJet), Rs 2,077 (Go Air) and Rs 2,119 (Go Air).
While the train journey is more than 10 hours during monsoon with stoppages at eight stations, excluding Mumbai and Madgaon, flight travel is merely an hour.
The train is scheduled to depart at 5.25 am from Dadar and arrive in Madgaon at 4pm during monsoon. During the non-monsoon period, between November 1 and June 30, the train will depart at the same time from Dadar, but arrive in Madgaon at 2.05 pm.
Ghatkopar resident Rosili EL, who travels frequently be tween Mumbai and Goa, said, “I don't think I would prefer to travel at such an exorbitant rate and, that too, if the journey takes so long.“
Ex-railway board member Subodh Jain said, “ After the advent of budget airlines, passengers take the train only if flight tickets are not available.“
Another former board member asked, “Why would a person prefer to travel by train when air tickets are cheaper, especially when stations are dirty and infrastructure is not comparable with airports?“ Divisional Rail Users' Consultative Committee member Jitesh Matalia said, “Railways should come out with a reasonable fare structure, especially when a lot of passengers are shifting to air travel. Also, Konkan Railway trains are most likely to get delayed due to erratic weather in monsoon.“

Railways have also suffered because of flexi pricing in premier trains, including Rajdhani Express. In 2016, Air India, on its website, offered spot fares till September 30 on all Rajdhani Express routes at the price of the train's first and second class AC tickets.
A Railways official said, “There may be takers for this coach only during the peak season..“
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA