[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by JohnyBoy

The reservation system is built with long distance travelers in mind. With ticket rates of at least Rs 200 or 300. They wouldn't have expected someone reserving tickets for Pune-Thane (Rs 80). This is short distance and most probably you will be traveling by bus/train without reservation.

Now thats a misconception. Train still is the most preferred transportation means between the the two cities. Looking at Volvo charges which is Rs 500+, trains is the most beneficial one. Not that I was looking for cheap mode of commuting (my son has this unique issue of puking in Volvo buses esp in ghat section. Does do that in our car), I was knowingly avoiding the bus journey.

My contention here is that the cancellation charges should have been a fixed % of fare cost rather than a flat rate for category wise.

[binand]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

If a separate berth is not sought - half the fare will be charged - meaning that your kid can share your berth by paying 50% adult fare . I don't understand the rational , why pay any money if there's no berth allotted ?

Not that I condone this move by IR, but the ticket cost includes both journey cost and berth cost. So even if a child does not occupy a dedicated berth, he or she is still transported from station A to station B so there will be a cost of transportation.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

With the rapid increase in railway fares , rail travel is becoming increasingly unattractive for me. I would spend almost same if I travel by road from Bangalore to Kolkata , as compared to AC 3 Tier. I have 2 kids with me. Railways has been losing passenger traffic to road/air and these moves will only add to that. Some would spend extra and prefer air travel than spending 36 hours in train.

I think it is high time Railway start charging MORE than Volvo.
The trains have a USP which Volvos and taxis cannot match: COMFORT

Stretching legs in a chair car vs bus/taxi.
Sleeping in a AC coach vs sleeper bus.
Toilets?

Your point about airfare is good, but I am yet to see general airfare dipping so low as to become comparable to train fare.
In addition, for short journeys there is a circus surrounding air travel which consumes time far more than the actual flying hours. (airports being lightyears away from cities, check in drama, baggage collection, coming back to civilization again light years away)

[sdp1975]

Originally Posted by alpha1

I think it is high time Railway start charging MORE than Volvo.
The trains have a USP which Volvos and taxis cannot match: COMFORT

Stretching legs in a chair car vs bus/taxi.
Sleeping in a AC coach vs sleeper bus.
Toilets?

Your point about airfare is good, but I am yet to see general airfare dipping so low as to become comparable to train fare.

They'll start losing customers if they start charging more - especially for the shorter distances, where they're already losing to the buses, and I'm one of them. A friend travelling in an AC berth a week ago says that the new "bio-degradable" toilets are a total mess - blocked with plastic and bottles. 2nd a/c fares are comparable to air fares for me if bought in advance of 4 months - and railways have anyways started dynamic pricing - I have to pay much more if I want to book a few days in advance.

Btw, about 17% of railway expenditure ( approx 30,000 Cr every year ) goes paying pension to railway employees, and they try to recover 570 Cr by charging berths for children. That's railway economics in India.

[JohnyBoy]

Originally Posted by alpha1

...
In addition, for short journeys there is a circus surrounding air travel which consumes time far more than the actual flying hours. (airports being lightyears away from cities, check in drama, baggage collection, coming back to civilization again light years away)

Amen.
It's actually becoming worse day by day.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

...
My contention here is that the cancellation charges should have been a fixed % of fare cost rather than a flat rate for category wise.

ghodlur, it's a %, only subject to a minimum. If there is no minimum, say the cancellation fee is 20%, in your case it will be Rs 16 (20% of 80). The cost of providing you the reservation and cancellation transactions may cost railways more than that.

As I mentioned earlier I'm not supporting what they are doing. Just trying to explain the logic behind this.

[roy_libran]

I recently tried out the EC (Executive AC Chair Car) Class in Shatabdi between Amritsar and Delhi, having earlier travelled from Delhi to Amritsar by the usual AC Chair Car (CC).

- The ticket cost on EC was approximately 40% more than CC, and the only meaningful difference to me, was the increased Leg space and wider seat.
- That apart, the Ergonomics of the Coach are horrible.
- They haven't redesigned the Tray Tables to compensate for the increased leg space, which essentially means that you would always be bending/hunching forward to reach your food.
- Moreover, people who are short, will have difficulty in reaching the Footrest due to which they will never be in a comfortable position.
- The Plug Point Locations are atrocious (same as CC), and prone to rub against your thigh.
- The Food is almost the same (equally good and bad) as CC.
- The Toilets are similar to CC (equally bad).

I don't understand how all this justifies a 40% increase in Fare. Personally, I will be averse to travelling EC ever again!

[lambuhere1]

Hi,

Does anyone have the seat layout of BLR PURI Garib rath express ?

Have booked the tickets, on which the seating shows as Upper and Middle Berths.

Concerned if it is the side upper or side middle berths.

Any help will be gladly appreciated

[binand]

Originally Posted by lambuhere1

Have booked the tickets, on which the seating shows as Upper and Middle Berths.

Concerned if it is the side upper or side middle berths.

Side berths would be marked as SU/SM/SL. Normal ones are UB/MB/LB.

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by lambuhere1

Hi,

Does anyone have the seat layout of BLR PURI Garib rath express ?

Have booked the tickets, on which the seating shows as Upper and Middle Berths.

Concerned if it is the side upper or side middle berths.

Any help will be gladly appreciated

Originally Posted by binand

Side berths would be marked as SU/SM/SL. Normal ones are UB/MB/LB.

You can't be sure as I've seen something strange in Saharsa-Amritsar Garib Rath. In this train, some coaches have that godforsaken side middle berth and some dont have it. I was once booked on upper berth but was allotted side middle as per seat number. That was the first and last time I ever boarded that train.

[Gannu_1]

Tatkal prices hiked from December 25:

» The minimum tatkal charges for sleeper class have been raised from Rs. 90 to Rs. 100 and the maximum charge from Rs. 175 to Rs. 200. The amount will vary depending upon the distance travelled.

» The hike in travel charges in AC compartments is even more. The minimum tatkal charges in AC-III have increased from Rs. 250 to Rs. 300 while the maximum charges have gone up from Rs. 350 to Rs. 400.

» The minimum charges for AC-II tier have been increased from Rs. 300 to Rs. 400, and the maximum charges have been hiked from Rs. 400 to Rs. 500.

» Passengers travelling in the executive class will need to pay Rs. 400 instead of Rs. 300 as the minimum tatkal booking charge and Rs. 500 against the earlier sum of Rs. 400 as maximum cost.

» The tatkal booking for second class sitting will remain the same at Rs. 10 as minimum and Rs. 15 as maximum charge, depending on the distance

Source: The Hindu

[JMaruru]

Would RAC of 110, 23 hours before travel suggest confirmed berths?

Are there any threshold levels for the same? Please advise.

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Would RAC of 110, 23 hours before travel suggest confirmed berths?

I recently used this free app called Trainman on Android which predicts confirmation chances based on historic data. In my case, it turned out accurate. IIRC the tickets have to be booked for the app to show the likelihood of confirmation.

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

I recently used this free app called Trainman on Android which predicts confirmation chances based on historic data. In my case, it turned out accurate. IIRC the tickets have to be booked for the app to show the likelihood of confirmation.

Looks cool. Thanks for the suggestion! The app also refreshes the PNR information. Hope it is NOT a drag on mobile performance.

Do they have their own historical data or do they get to peep into railways database.

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Do they have their own historical data or do they get to peep into railways database.

I am not sure how exactly, but I think they track based on historic data from users themselves. Every time you use the app, I guess it adds to the data they have.

[JMaruru]

What is the timings for non-ac tatkal bookings?

As i know it starts from 11AM of previous day of journey.
But until when? Is it a one hour window?

Also, on IRCTC the ID field is grayed out and am NOT able to key in the ID information. Am i missing something here or is there a way to provide this information?