In an unusual turn of events, Indian Railways has introduced varying fares for the same distance covered by a specific local train operating under the jurisdiction of two railway zones—South Eastern Railway (SER) and East Coast Railway (ECoR). For instance, passengers traveling from Kharagpur to Bhadrak on the Kharagpur-Bhadrak passenger special are charged Rs 40 for the 181 km journey. Surprisingly, the fare nearly doubles to Rs 75 if the same passenger covers the same distance on the same train but in the opposite direction, from Bhadrak to Kharagpur.
This unique scenario raises concerns as it appears to be the only train in the Indian Railways system that imposes two different fares for an identical journey. Passengers have been experiencing fare anomalies for the past two years, with discrepancies arising after the normalization of train journeys post the COVID-19 pandemic. Jaleswar rail users’ committee president Sukumar Rana expressed frustration, stating, “It is ridiculous to pay double the amount for traveling the same distance. How can the Railways charge two different fares? We have raised the matter before the railway officials time and again, but no step has been taken to rectify the anomaly.”
SER officials attribute the fare anomaly to the lack of correction by the ECoR, emphasizing that similar adjustments need to be made by the latter. Meanwhile, ECoR authorities claim that the matter is under consideration and that a proposal for changes in rail fare has been submitted to the railway board in response to passenger complaints. As of now, no communication has been received from the board regarding the proposed changes.
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