With IRCTC-operated Tejas Express running from New Delhi to Lucknow clocking the profit, the India Railways is expediting its proposal to handover another 150 trains to private companies for running on major routes.
The high-level panel headed by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will meet soon and finalise the tender documents to bid out the routes for private firms, a senior official in the railways told DH.
The railways wanted airline companies, travel agencies, big hospitality companies or transport houses to run the trains by offering quality services to passengers.
In the recent meeting convened by the railway officials, several private airlines and hospitality companies including Vistara, Spice Jet, Indigo and R K Caterers expressed their interest in operating trains.
The IRCTC, which started operating the train from October 5, has earned Rs 3.70 crore through ticket sales till October 28 (21 days).
The train runs with 80 to 85% of its capacity, spending around Rs 14 lakh per day and earns Rs 17.50 lakh from passengers fares, said an official in the Railways.
The railways gave two trains—on Lucknow-Delhi and Ahmedabad-Mumbai route to its subsidiary, IRCTC, to operate on an experimental basis. The IRCTC is yet to start the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route train. The IRCTC offers attractive benefits to passengers including free meals, free insurance up to Rs 25 lakh and compensation for delays.
The private companies, which bag the tender, have to pay lease charges and haulage charges (or freight charges for using infrastructure) to Indian Railways. The private companies also must provide facilities like catering, cleaning, and supply of beddings to passengers. They can fix train fare, which will be in dynamic mode and also market the train tickets and check the tickets inside the train. There will be no concession in tickets to any category of passengers.
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