Discount boosts Mysuru-B’luru Shatabdi revenue

The discount on Shatabdi fares between Bengaluru and Mysuru has boosted the train’s occupancy and the revenue has gone up by Rs 50 crore in 2017 compared to the previous year.

The fares for AC-3 (chair car) on the fastest train between the two cities were reduced from Rs 490 to Rs 260 in October 2016. Since then, there has been an upswing in ridership, with fewer vacant seats.

The move has shown that quality public transportation at an affordable price will benefit both the transport utilities as well as the public. South Western Railway (SWR) chief public relations officer E Vijaya said the dynamic fare was the first such experiment in Indian Railways which aimed to suit the fares based to the traffic pattern on the Bengaluru-Mysuru section.

“The measure has proved to be a win-win situation for both Railways and passengers. Railways gain by way of increased occupancy levels and earnings while passengers get to travel comfortably at relatively low prices,” she said.

Though railways data pertains to the entire section between Mysuru and Chennai Central stations, officials said the Mysuru-Bengaluru section accounts for the upward changes in numbers.

“This success story has been recognised at the national level and the Railway Board has directed other Railway Zones to adopt this model in select sections. Recently, powers to implement it have been delegated to zones and we are planning to proliferate this model in identified sections,” Vijaya said.

SWR and Southern Railway own one each of the two Shatabdi rakes. Data for calendar years 2016 and 2017 shows that the total ridership in the chair car section has gone up from 5.59 lakh in 2016 to 6.03 lakh.

The additional 43,760 footfall has contributed to the earnings with the revenue from the train going up from Rs 404.53 crore to Rs 455.69 crore. The numbers encouraged officials to introduce a discount in AC cars of five other trains for Bengaluru-Mysuru section last month.

Krishna Prasad of Karnataka Railway Vedike said the railways has successfully found a balance between high quality and fares. “Shatabdi reduces the travel time between Mysuru and Bengaluru to two hours, at a cost which is less than Volvo bus fares, which take about four hours,” he said.