Shatabdi fares surge as high as Rs 1,060 last week, thanks to flexi-fare

The Indian Railway decided to put the flexi-fare system in place for premier trains including Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi from September 9 onward. Under this system, the base fares would increase by 10 per cent with every 10 per cent of berths sold. Quite naturally, residents were being forced to buy tickets at a price quite higher than what previously prevailed.

In fact, last week, the average price of one-way ticket for Kalka Shatabdi was ranging between Rs 750 and Rs 900; whereas, the same ticket would cost around Rs 620 before the system was introduced. At the same time, tickets for the Chandigarh-New Delhi Shatabdi were sold between prices, Rs 880 and Rs 1,110, as reported by Hindustan Times.

People from varied backgrounds are finding it difficult to cope with the new rates. A software engineer, Arindam Roy, said, “One cannot plan an instant trip as the ticket will be highly-priced. And for a distance such as that between Chandigarh and Delhi, one rarely plans for months.”