Airfare drops by upto 25 per cent after the launch of Vande Bharat train

By: Pune Pulse

October 27, 2023

Pune: During festivals like Diwali and Chhath, there has been a notable surge in the number of individuals opting for air travel, train journeys, and bus rides. Consequently, acquiring tickets for trains and flights has become exceedingly challenging, given the heightened demand. Moreover, flight ticket prices have skyrocketed due to the festive season.

Nevertheless, the Central Railways has recently released a passenger-related data survey, which discloses that the increasing popularity and demand for Vande Bharat trains have resulted in a reduction of flight ticket prices by up to 30 per cent on several routes. Consequently, the air passenger traffic on these routes has also experienced a decline.

According to a report by Central Railways, the Vande Bharat Express trains have gained popularity on several routes, including Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi, Mumbai-Solapur, Mumbai-Madgaon and Nagpur-Bilaspur. The report states that a majority of passengers in the age groups of 15 to 30 years and 31 to 45 years prefer to travel on these trains.

Additionally, the Railways report highlights that flight tickets have become more affordable, with prices decreasing by up to 30%. The launch of Vande Bharat trains has resulted in a decline of 10-20% in passenger traffic, as per industry estimates mentioned in the report.

Flight tickets have become cheaper by 20-30 per cent as a result of the decrease in demand. The railways have also provided data on the age groups of passengers travelling on Vande Bharat trains, indicating which age group of people are travelling the most on each train.

Train No. 22225/22226 CSMT-Solapur Vande Bharat accommodates a total of 55905 passengers, with 34016 being male and 21881 being female.

The age distribution of the passengers is as follows:

18764 passengers (33.56%) fall within the age group of 15 to 30 years

18042 passengers (32.27%) fall within the age group of 31 to 45 years

11528 passengers (20.62%) fall within the age group of 46 to 60 years

5133 passengers (9.18%) fall within the age group above 60 years

2438 passengers (4.36%) fall within the age group of 1 to 14 years.