If the government approves the recommendations of the rare review committee then passengers would be shelling out more for lower berths and traveling during the festive season in the train.
According to the panel, railway should follow the dynamic model of pricing like airlines, hotels etc.
Like flyers pay more for front-row seats, railway passengers too could be paying extra for seats of their choice, the sources said.
There also could be an increase in fares of trains which have “convenient” timings and are more popular on a particular route, they said.
The committee has also recommended that instead of having flat fares, the railways should increase fares during festive seasons, and reduce them during lean months.
It has also suggested that passengers be offered discounts on trains reaching destinations at inconvenient times, for example between 0000 and 0400 hours and 1300 and 1700 hours, they said.
The committee consists of some Railway Board officials, NITI Aayog adviser Ravinder Goyal, executive director (revenue management) of Air India Meenakshi Malik, professor S Sriram, and Iti Mani, Director, Revenue, Le Meridien, Delhi.
The Flexi charge system has already drawn a lot of opposition and it’s not known how these recommendations will be received.
Under the flexi formula, base fares increase by 10 percent (up to 50 percent) after every 10 percent of berths booked.
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