Indian Railways is planning to replace all AC 2-tier coaches from Duronto and Rajdhani express to AC 3-tier coaches in some sectors.

According to the Indian Railways official, AC-3 tier coaches always remain in demand, which helps it to raise profits or reach the break-even mark.

As per reports, this move has been initiated due to the flexi-fare system for these premier trains, which came into effect in September 2016.

After the flexi-fare system was introduced, there were times when the fare of AC-2 tier and the economy became almost equal, which resulted in low occupancy in train bookings of AC-2 tier category.

There are around 42 Rajdhani trains, 46 Shatabdi and 54 Duronto trains, and the the flexi-fare system for Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi express depends on the base fare.

As per the reports, 10 percent of the seats get sold on normal fare and the rest keep increasing with every 10 percent of berths sold with the ceiling limit at maximum 50 percent. While for AC-3 tier, it was 40 percent, thus, leading to the introduction of more such coaches in these trains.

To modify further the flexi-fare system, officials said “The Railway Ministry is planning to introduce the rental slabs of Humsafar Express trains for three trains Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi, where the flexi fare scheme is being implemented. The slabs will be introduced with an aim to simplify the flexi fare scheme, which has always faced criticism.”