Charging Full Fare for RAC Tickets Unjustified, Says Parliamentary Panel
Charging passengers full fare for tickets booked under the Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) category—despite them not receiving a full berth—is unjustified, a parliamentary committee has said.
In its report titled “Punctuality and Travel Time in Train Operations in Indian Railways”, tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said that passengers who continue to remain in the RAC category after chart preparation and travel without a confirmed berth should not be charged the full fare.
The committee recommended that the Railway Ministry devise a mechanism to refund a portion of the fare to passengers who do not receive a full berth despite paying full charges at the time of booking.
Under the current system, Indian Railways charges full fare for RAC tickets. However, if the ticket remains RAC after chart preparation, two passengers are required to share a single berth, even though both have paid the full fare.
The committee urged the Railways to implement partial fare refunds for such passengers and inform it of the steps taken in this regard.
Concerns Over ‘Superfast’ Train Classification
The PAC also flagged concerns over the criteria used to classify Superfast trains. It noted that in May 2007, Indian Railways decided that trains with an average speed of at least 55 kmph on broad gauge and 45 kmph on metre gauge, in both directions, would be designated as Superfast.
The committee observed that the benchmark of 55 kmph itself is low and has not been revised since 2007. It further pointed out that of the 478 Superfast trains currently in operation, 123 have scheduled speeds of less than 55 kmph.
Responding to the committee, the Railway Ministry said that a review of the 123 trains showed that 47 were operating at speeds above 55 kmph as per current data. For the remaining trains, the ministry attributed the lower speeds to additional stoppages introduced after the commencement of regular operations.
However, the committee expressed dissatisfaction over what it described as poor adherence to the Railways’ own speed criteria. It said it was compelled to conclude that trains were being designated as Superfast primarily to levy higher fares.
The report stated that whenever a train’s speed falls below the prescribed threshold, it should be removed from the Superfast category and fares should be revised accordingly.
Calling the existing Superfast benchmark “too conservative and anachronistic,” the committee said it does not reflect present-day realities, especially when countries such as China and Japan operate trains at much higher speeds.
The committee recommended that the Railway Ministry review and rationalise the criteria for Superfast classification in line with global standards, targeting average speeds close to 100 kmph. It also suggested exploring the feasibility of achieving consistent 100 kmph speeds throughout the entire journey—from origin to destination—by the year 2030.
Additionally, the committee noted that the introduction of new trains often leads to delays, as existing Express and Superfast trains are made to halt to allow newer services to pass. It recommended that the Railways prioritise punctuality of existing trains over the introduction of new ones.
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