(News) Tatkal Quota may be opened on AC 1st Class Railway

A proposal to introduce tatkal quota in the first class air-conditioned coaches is actively under consideration of the railway board. The move is aimed at a class of passengers who may have to travel at short notice but are unable to get flight accommodation.

As of now tatkal quota is present in all classes except first AC and executive class coaches. Tatkal scheme, introduced in 1997, has been a money-spinner for the Indian Railways as around 15% of the total berth/seats in Indian Railways is booked under this scheme.

Devi Prasad Pandey, Member Traffic told TOI that the suggestion is under consideration. He said, "There was a proposal in the past but I will have to revisit the file to ascertain grounds on which these classes were excluded from the Tatkal scheme."

Railways have been looking at various measures to boost the revenue from passenger traffic as there is unlikely to be an increase in fares before the general elections scheduled in April may. A senior WR official said it will definitely help railways earn revenue, especially on important routes like Mumbai-Delhi corridor or Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor many people travel on this sector for business purposes.Railway officials also feel that there will be enough demand for the tatkal scheme too.

An official said, "Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani Express or August Kranti Express is an overnight train. A person traveling in this train is getting over-night lodging as complimentary. When he travels by flight, he has to either return on the same day or book a hotel, which makes his trip extremely expensive."

Read More..

Courtesy : The Times of India