With each passing year, the Western Railway has recorded a two-fold increase in the passengers’ demands to travel in three-tier
air-conditioned coaches (3-AC) on its outstation trains from Mumbai.
In the last five years, it has added 120 coaches as the number of passengers has doubled from 10,031 to 20,024, primarily due to train fares being way below than airline fares.
“In the last five years, the WR has added 3-AC coaches in various trains including Radhani Express, Jaipur Express, Garib Rath Express, Sampark Kranti Express, resulting in nearly about 99 per cent increase in the number of passengers travelling in 3-AC,” said WR CPRO Sharat Chandrayan. When airfares are compared with fares of trains for a December 1, 2012 travel between Mumbai and Delhi, it’s clear that trains are cheaper.
A 3-AC ticket for Rajdhani Express costs `1,495, whereas the cheapest airline ticket costs `4,732.
The WR officials have decided that from January 1, 2013
they would permanently attach an additional 3-AC coach in two trains — Golden Tem-ple Mail and Paschim Express.
“The WR has added 30 of these coaches in August Kranti Rajd-hani Express, Avantika Express, Gujarat Mail, Vadodara Express, etc, which resulted in 12 per cent increase in the number of 3-AC passengers in the current year as compared to last year,” said Mr Chandrayan.