This refers to the report, “Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto berths go scarcer & costlier” (September 8). The latest move by the Indian Railways to introduce the flexi-fare system in selected trains is nothing short of unethical fleecing of rail passengers. A lot of people are upset that they have to now dig deep and shell out more for rail travel. By the logic of the railways, the base fare of tickets should decrease with the falling demand.
The surge pricing introduced in these three premium trains can well be extended to other trains as well in case of feeble resistance from rail passengers. In the Indian context, the rail network is the main public transport facility available to millions of people to move from one place to another at affordable fares. like cinema and English, it connects all corners of the country.
Affordable fares are the selling point of the railways. It is saddening that it is now reduced to a commercial entity to swindle money out of passengers. Increasing the fares in this manner is amounts to ‘daylight robbery’. The Government cannot be bereft of a sense of society to go ahead with this ill-conceived move. It must roll back the hike in ‘public interest’ and enable the passengers to heave a sigh of relief.