Twitter
Advertisement

dna exclusive: Bandra-Katra ticket sales dip after border firing

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Heavy cross-border firing at Jammu might be one of the reasons behind the sudden lull in demand for Bandra-Vaishnodevi Katra premium train ticket sales, suspect railway officials. Tickets for the train's October 20 journey, which broke the Rs 10,000 barrier on the very first day of booking on October 6, was selling at Rs 7,000 on Thursday.

According to Western Railways' (WR) data on ticket sales, the train's AC two-tier ticket was selling at Rs 7,000 against a base price of Rs 3,880, while the AC three-tier ticket was selling at Rs 3,880 against a base price of Rs 2,915. The sleeper class tickets continued to sell at a base price of Rs 1,290 each, said officials.

As reported by dna in its October 7 edition, the prices of an AC two-tier ticket on the train had touched a high of Rs 10,260 within hours of its opening for booking on October 6. In fact, officials believed that the prices would have touched the upper limit within a few days of opening. As per railway rules, the maximum prices for market-controlled premium trains is three times the base fare. This would mean that the maximum that the AC tow-tier ticket could reach would be Rs 11,640.

The prices of an AC three-tier ticket had reached Rs 6,600 on October 6, just a couple of thousand rupees below the upper limit of Rs 8,745. The opening for the train's ticket sales was so robust that by the evening of October 6, some 41 per cent of AC two-tier and 32 per cent of AC three-tier tickets had been sold. Almost a fortnight later, the occupancy of the October 20 train as on Thursday was in the region of 70 per cent, said officials.

"It is of course a matter of study on why the demands suddenly plateaued, but one of the reasons could be the heavy firing between Indian and Pakistani forces on the international border at Jammu. Though the Vaishnodevi shrine and the rail route is far away from the border, such issues tend to dampen tourism of all kinds, religious ones included," said a senior WR official.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement