NDA government ki ek aur flop train. Unreserve train ko non stop chala rahe hai. Lagta hai yeh 5 saal me Railway ko duba hi denge. Fir kahte hai fare nahi badenga to facility kaise milenge.
THE AMBITIOUS Antodaya Express launched last month, which connects Mumbai to Tatanagar in Jharkhand, has failed to garner much response so far. The passenger figures of the bi-weekly train have not been able to reach a three-digit figure since its launch, officials said.
The Express, launched last month by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, is one of...
more... the many premium trains proposed by the ministry in the Railway Budget of 2016. It is meant to be a long-distance, fully unreserved, superfast train service, which will cover the distance between the two cities in 25 hours.
According to official records received by The Indian Express, the train’s last ticket sales on April 11 numbered 52, with 81 passengers contributing to a revenue earning of Rs 25,511. Since its launch on March 25, there has been a negative growth in its ticket sale contribution or increase in passengers.
“The rake has not been able to receive a good response. The demand is dull even at the originating station — Lokmanya Tilak Terminus ( LTT) — that otherwise sees considerable traffic towards the northern side of the country,” a senior CR official said.
The Railways has said the manufacturing cost of the coaches, with modern facilities, is high, and hence the fares have been fixed at 15% more than those of regular long-distance trains. As the train is fully unreserved, the basic fare of the ticket is Rs 420, with bookings allowed throughout the 25-hour journey.
“The fare structure of the rake is costlier than the others, but is cost-effective. It should have received better response considering the facilities offered in the train, with an unreserved ticket booking pattern. An unpopular route and the long duration of the journey could be the reasons of the poor response,” the official added.
The rake’s route covers stations including Igatpuri, Bhusaval, Nagpur, Raipur, Bilaspur, Rourkela and Tatanagar. Trains covering similar routes on the CR, such as Shalimar Express, Howrah Mail and the Duronto express, witness better traffic, officials said. “Other trains on a similar route continue to receive decent traffic. Commuters may prefer other trains with daily schedules and comparatively less fares over the bi-weekly traffic trend of the Antodyaya, with higher fares,” an official from the commercial department of the CR said.
The 22-coach rake has been made by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, with each coach costing the railways Rs 2.5 crore, up from the Rs.1.5 crore per sleeper coach.
It includes modern amenities such as water purifiers, bio-toilets, fire extinguishers with anti-theft arrangement, cushioned luggage racks with coat hooks and LED lights.NDA