Of all others, the train fare hike will most affect daily commuters who travel with monthly passes and depend solely on passenger trains to travel from the City to places such as Mysore, Mandya, Tumkur, Bangarpet, Hosur.
Not only has the price for the monthly pass almost doubled but also the minimum distance based on which a single journey is calculated, has been reduced, thereby making it a double blow for those who depend on the trains for their daily commute from their hometowns to workplaces.
The minimum distance slab which was earlier 20 kilometers has now been reduced 15 kilometers.
Commuters rue
Rajashekhar, a resident of Tumkur, who is employed at the Manyata Tech Park and travels everyday to the City by train, said: “ Earlier my three-month pass was for Rs 635 and now as per the revised fares, a monthly pass would cost Rs 600.”
“Still, I do not mind shelling out so much, but the railways should also promise that the trains will be on schedule. In a month, 70 per cent of the trains are late, spoiling the entire day's routine,”he said.
Karnam Ramesh, Secretary, Tumkur Bangalore Railway Commuters’ Forum, said: “This burden (fare hike) can be accepted given the fact that the monthly KSRTC bus pass costs about Rs 2,000. At the same time, the hike in monthly pass fares is not uniform and railways should make it clear on what basis the hike has been announced.”
Madhukeshwar, a resident of Mysore who travels everyday to the City, said: “The revision of the monthly pass or seasonal tickets fare is almost 200 per cent which is not justified. The government should prioritise rather than burdening passengers in one go.”
South Western Railways DGM C S Gupta said: “The Railway Board is yet to give us an exact chart of the monthly pass fare.”
