Airfares fall 30% after launch of Vande Bharat trains: Report
The railways collected this data in an effort to popularise Vande Bharat trains and increase footfall.
According to reports from industry insiders, there has been a 10-20% decline in air traffic and an almost 30% reduction in airfare after the launch of semi-high-speed and semi-luxurious Vande Bharat trains. This data comes into notice after Indian Railways monitored the demand for Vande Bharat trains on the basis of gender and age of passengers. The data included the number of males, females, and transgenders travelling on the four Vande.B routes.
According to a report, it is the first time that the Central Railways collected data in an effort to popularise Vande Bharat trains and increase footfall. The report revealed that the highest number of passengers travelling in the trains starting from Mumbai belonging to the age group of 31-45 years, followed by 15-30 years of age. The report also stated that there are 85,600 males, 57,838 females, and 26 transgenders travelled in Vande Bharat Express trains between September 15 to October 13.
“Children (1–14 years old) made up about 5% of passengers on average throughout this time, whereas transgender people made up 4.5% of all Vande Bharat passengers,” said Shivraj Manaspure, chief PRO of Central Railway as quoted by Hindustan Times. According to estimates from the industry, after the introduction of the Vande Bharat train, there has been a sharp decline of 10–20% in air traffic and a reduction of 20–30% in airfare, Manaspure added.
Paresh Rawal, Public Policy Analyst (Mobility and Transportation) said that this macro data will play a critical role in the Railways’ revenue generation from non-fare boxes, HT reported. “This data will give the industry a fair idea about the audience. In addition, this data will also help Indian Railways in planning future improvements in services, food menu and other amenities,” Rawal said.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has also said that the central government is working to launch a Vande Bharat train in Jammu-Kashmir from Jammu to Srinagar. He also added that the trains have been designed in such a unique way that they will perform seamlessly in that temperature and at that altitude.
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