Your train travel may become cheaper! The Indian Railways is planning to imitate discount policy that hotels and airlines offer to get more customers. Just like airlines and hotels, the railways could soon be dishing out discounts on tickets if trains are not fully booked, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has said. This may lead to a complete revamp of the flexi-fare scheme. Mr Goyal’s remarks came days after the Railway Board formed a six-member committee to review the flexi-fare scheme.
Here are 10 things to know about what Mr Goyal said on discounts on Indian Railways’ train seats:

1) “We have been deliberating on a dynamic pricing policy. So far we have been discussing that the price should not go up but I want to go a step ahead. I am exploring a possibility where, suppose trains are not going full like in airlines, we get discounted fares,” said Mr Goyal.

2) “We will use (Ashwani) Lohani’s expertise…like there is dynamic pricing in hotels. First the prices are low…then the prices go high and then later you get discounts on the remaining rooms through bookmyhotel or other websites,” he said. Mr Lohani is the current Chairman of the Indian Railway Board.

3) “Just like the airlines and hotels where a person gets discount at that last minute, it (the railways) should also offer discounts on the routes with relatively low occupancy,” he said.

4) Mr Goyal spoke on Saturday after a day-long conclave of senior officials in New Delhi. The six-member committee, set up on December 11, has been mandated to recommend ways to offer a more lucrative scheme that may include loyalty and other benefits to passengers.
5) The board has also asked the panel to consider modifications or amendments to the flexi-fare system to offer passengers flexibility of rates during peak/lean seasons or during weekdays, weekends or festivals.

6) The committee has been asked to submit its report within 30 days.

7) The flexi-fare system, launched in September 2016, led to up to 50 per cent increase in fares. Under the formula, base fares increase from 10 per cent to 50 per cent with every 10 per cent of berths booked. While revenue increased, the railways lost passengers as several berths remained vacant, officials said.

8) Mr Goyal also said that the Indian Railways should try to follow the way in which airlines maintain their aircraft within 30 minutes or so. He said that railway rakes should be utilised to full capacity. “Right now a Rajdhani Express train from Delhi to Mumbai stays at the station for maintenance. It can be maintained and cleaned by 22 teams in 30 minutes and again made fit to go on a journey of two or three hours, besides its original return journey,” he said.
9) “Going ahead I would want that the trip between Delhi and Mumbai be completed in 11 hours and half-an-hour on each side (should) go in maintenance. So a round trip would become possible,” the minister said.

10) Mr Goyal said that while the national transporter was already trying out an experiment on the Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani by using two engines, he has also suggested that the train should depart from Delhi at 5 pm instead of 4 pm. (With PTI Inputs)

The railways will explore if it is possible for a Rajdhani Express train to make a round trip within 24 hours with half-an-hour gaps for inspection at either end, to maximise utilisation of such rakes.

This is one of the ideas that will be discussed at a day-long conclave — ‘Sampark, Samanvay evam Samvad’ (connection, coordination and conversation) – in New Delhi on December 16.

The meet, to be attended by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and senior officials, will chalk out a road map for the national transporter till 2022.

The agenda for the meeting includes discussion on structural and cultural reforms and changes in processes and ways to increase market share and revenue of the railways by 40 per cent in freight transportation by 2022.

The meeting will also deliberate on how to improve punctuality, comfort, safety, aesthetics and safety in railway operations.

Senior railway officials are also mandated to come up with ideas and plans to device a procurement process which would enable procurement of new technologies in a short period of time.

The meeting will address the issue of ‘happiness’ among employees and find out what kind of incentives can be given to motivate them?

“Some of the decisions on various issues listed for discussion will be taken on that day,” said a senior official.

The family of a central government official, whose body was found on railway tracks three near Delhi days after he went missing, on Friday alleged that he was killed and his body was dumped there. Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry Indian Civil Accounts Service officer Jeetendra Kumar Jha’s body was found on rail tracks on Monday in Palam.

The police, however, said that it was a case of suicide since a purported note was also found in which he said no one was responsible for his death.
Mr Jha’s family was initially not able to identify his body yesterday. But after police showed a wallet and clothes, they identified the body.

Jeetendra Kumar Jha went missing from Dwarka on Monday after he had gone for a morning walk (File Photo)
New Delhi: The family of a central government official, whose body was found on railway tracks three near Delhi days after he went missing, on Friday alleged that he was killed and his body was dumped there. Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry Indian Civil Accounts Service officer Jeetendra Kumar Jha’s body was found on rail tracks on Monday in Palam.

The police, however, said that it was a case of suicide since a purported note was also found in which he said no one was responsible for his death.

Mr Jha’s family was initially not able to identify his body yesterday. But after police showed a wallet and clothes, they identified the body.

RN Mishra, Mr Jha’s brother-in-law, said the body was mutilated beyond recognition and that is why they could not identify it..
“Three-four months ago, he had said that he won’t live for long. He was scared for his life,” Mr Mishra told news agency PTI, alleging foul play in Mr Jha’s death.

Mr Mishra said that Mr Jha was scared and was not even going to work and had been on leave.

“He had even stopped visiting our house late in the night. If we had to meet him, we would have to visit his home,” Mr Mishra said. Mr Jha had even started leaving his cellphone at home so that his location could not be tracked, he said.

“Even on the day he went missing, he had left his phone at home,” said Mr Mishra.

Mr Jha, a 1998-batch officer, was worked in the training section of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. He was not going to office and was on medical leave from September 28, the police had said.

The railways has identified 983 railway stations for the installation of CCTV cameras using the Nirbhaya Fund, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

The fund was set up following an announcement in the 2013 Union Budget after the brutal gangrape of a Delhi girl on December 16, 2012, that had sparked a nationwide outrage. The railways was given Rs. 500 crore from the fund by the Finance Ministry.

In written reply to a question, Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain also said that the national transporter has identified 202 railway stations as “sensitive” for the purpose of installation of an integrated security system (ISS) to strengthen surveillance mechanism.

“ISS includes close circuit television (CCTV) cameras, access control, personal and baggage screening system and bomb detection system,” the minister informed the House.

Contracts have already been awarded for execution of ISS works at 129 railway stations spread across 15 Zonal Railways, Mr Gohain said.

So far, 106 railway stations have been covered with CCTV surveillance system, and 139 baggage scanners, 32 under vehicle scanning system, 217 door frame metal detectors and more than one thousand hand held metal detectors have been provided to Zonal Railways, the minister said.

“All the Zonal Railways have been advised to ensure speedy implementation of ISS at all the identified sensitive stations,” the minister said.

Besides ISS, CCTV surveillance system is available at 288 other railway stations.

The body of an HRD Ministry official was found at the railway tracks in Palam, nearly three days after he went missing, police said today.

Jeetendra Kumar Jha, an Indian Civil Accounts Service officer, went missing from Dwarka on Monday after he had gone for a morning walk, they said.

His body was yesterday found at the railway tracks in Palam and the police identified him today. The police said it appeared that he had committed suicide, based on a first impression.

Swiss technology is due to hit new heights on Friday when the world’s steepest funicular line opens at one of its Alpine resorts.

Swiss President Doris Leuthard will officially open the 52 million-Swiss franc ($52.6 million) project running from Schywz to the mountain village of Stoos, which lies 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) above sea level in central Switzerland.

The train, which will go into public service on Sunday, will climb 743 metres over a span of 1,738 metres, at speeds of up 10 metres per second.

“After 14 years of planning and building, everyone is very proud of this train,” said Ivan Steiner, spokesman for the railway.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday emphasised the need to continue the momentum on infrastructure creation and expedite investment in railways to propel the Indian economy. Addressing industry association FICCI’s annual general meeting here, he said India has had one of the highest infrastructure spendings in the world but the momentum needs to be sustained.

There is a need to “hurry up” on investment in railway infrastructure, including on stations and super fast and bullet trains, he said. Explaining the rationale for massive capital infusion plan in public sector banks, Jaitley said that lending capacity of banks was constrained due to capital inadequacy.

Improving lending capacity of banks will be government’s priority for the next year, he said. India, he said, has realised the importance of structural changes despite global slowdown. The country saw more structural changes in 2017 than the recent past.

Jaitley said next year’s agenda for the government is funding banks and completing unfinished tasks of strengthening state-owned banks. The government has appointed advisors for sale of Air India and will soon come out with the next step, he said without elaborating. He exuded confidence of exceeding the disinvestment target this fiscal, the first time ever.

A Delhi teenager has been found murdered on a railway track in Gurugram, police said on Thursday.

Diwakar, a Class 12 student, was a resident of RK Puram in south Delhi. He had been missing since Tuesday when he left for school but never came back, said Tarun, a family member.

“When we contacted the school, a teacher said he did not come to school. After talking to his friends, we filed a missing complaint,” he said.

On Wednesday night, the family was informed by the Haryana Police about a body found on Gurgaon Sector 9 railway track. “When they reached the spot, they identified it as Diwakar’s. The family members say he was brutally murdered,” an officer said.

“Diwakar’s mouth was filled with a handkerchief and his shoelaces were tied to the track. We are suspecting foul play,” he added.

Tarun said Diwakar was a brilliant student and had no personal animosity with anyone.

After months of deliberations, the railway board has finally initiated the process of reviewing the flexi-fare system in premium trains by comparing the prices with that of other modes of transport in the same sectors.

According to a railway board letter dated December 11, a copy of which is with news agency PTI, the board has formed a six-member committee to review the system and submit a report in 30 days.

The committee consists of railway board officials along with Ravinder Goyal, Adviser, NITI Ayog, Meenakshi Malik, Executive Director, Revenue Management, Air India, S Sriram, professor of transport economics and Iti Mani, Director, Revenue, Le Meridien, Delhi.

“The broad terms and reference of the committee shall be to examine all options and recommend the best option keeping in mind passengers and railways’ interest”, the letter stated.

The flexi-fare system, launched in September 2016, led to up to 50 per cent increase in fares. Under the formula, base fares increase from 10 per cent to 50 per cent with every 10 per cent of berths booked.

While revenue increased, the railways lost passengers as several berths remained vacant, officials said.

It has also suggested that the committee explore ways to offer adds-ons to passengers like loyalty benefits or deferred benefits for better patronage of the scheme.

The committee will also recommend if modifications or amendments can be brought to the the flexi-fare system to offer passengers flexibility of rates during peak season, lean season or during week days or weekends or during festivals.

The committee has also been asked to review the fares of the Humsafar Express which was launched last year.

The Delhi High Court today pulled up the Railways for placing coaches for the disabled at both ends of the train, saying there could be no justification for such a move but for “commercial interests”.

The court was also annoyed with the Railways for not implementing the recommendations of a committee appointed by it to provide equal opportunity to persons with disabilities to travel by trains.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said the matter was adjourned last time for implementation of the report but nothing has been done.

“There can be no justification other than commercial interest of railways for placing one coach each at the beginning and end of a train for disabled persons,” it said.

“Unfortunately no timeline is placed and the counsel for railways is unable to tell when the recommendations will be implemented. The Committee has made important recommendations for giving equal opportunity to persons with disabilities to travel by railways. The response is unacceptable,” it said.

The observations came on a PIL initiated by the bench itself on the issue of a visually-impaired man missing his M.Phil entrance exam as he could not board a reserved compartment of a train since it was locked from inside.

The court had appointed former General Manager of Indian Railways Sarabjit Arjan Singh an amicus curiae (friend of the court) to assist it as he had written an article giving suggestions to make railways a disabled-friendly network.

The court granted the last opportunity to the railways to place a timeline for implementation of the recommendations and also asked it to form a helpline for disabled persons.

“It was due to such behaviour by the railways that the incident of blind student who was unable to board the train happened,” the bench said and added that the assessment of placement of coaches for disabled was required to be done.

The court said in most of the stations, these two coaches will be at the end of the platform which completely lack accessibility.

It sought the presence of an officer of the rank of executive director of railways before it on December 21.

The bench had earlier said that despite constitutional guarantee of equality before law, the harsh reality was that disabled persons do not have any substantive equality.

It had said that the Delhi University also cannot isolate itself from taking measures to secure the man’s rights and will have to grant him a chance to participate in the entrance exam for M.Phil (Sanskrit) course for the academic year 2017- 18 like all other candidates.