Railway Online Tickets Costlier Than Counter Fare Due to Convenience Fee, Transaction Charges: Ashwini Vaishnaw
Railway Online Tickets Costlier Than Counter Fare Due to Convenience Fee, Transaction Charges: Ashwini Vaishnaw
On Friday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that passengers who book tickets online through IRCTC tend to pay more than those who buy tickets at railway counters. This difference in pricing is due to the convenience fee and transaction charges. In response to inquiries from Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut about inconsistencies in IRCTC’s ticket pricing, Vaishnaw explained that IRCTC has significant costs associated with providing the online ticketing service. To help cover these expenses related to maintaining, upgrading, and expanding the ticketing infrastructure, IRCTC charges a convenience fee.
Additionally, he mentioned that customers also incur transaction fees from banks. Vaishnaw highlighted that the online ticket booking option provided by IRCTC is one of the most user-friendly services offered by Indian Railways, with over 80 percent of reserved tickets currently being booked online. He further noted that this online service allows passengers to avoid visiting reservation counters, saving them both time and transportation costs.
Raut inquired about why passengers who book tickets online through IRCTC end up paying more than those who buy tickets directly at railway counters.
In response to another question regarding the development of hydrogen trains, the Minister announced that the railways is working on an advanced project to create the country’s first hydrogen train, which is expected to be one of the longest and most powerful hydrogen trains in the world.
“Indian Railways has initiated a cutting-edge project to develop the first hydrogen train on a pilot basis by retrofitting a hydrogen fuel cell onto a Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) rake,” Vaishnaw stated in the Upper House.
He added that alongside the train, there are plans for the necessary ground infrastructure to refill hydrogen, which will include an integrated facility for hydrogen production, storage, and dispensing. Vaishnaw also confirmed that the required safety approvals for the facility’s layout from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) have been secured.
