Ahd-Mum, Del-Lko Tejas trains to be handed over to IRCTC; 'flexible' fares to be decided by operator

As part of its move to hand over certain trains to private players, the railways has decided that IRCTC will run the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central Tejas Express and the Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express as test cases, sources said on Tuesday. The fares of these trains will be flexible and will be decided by the IRCTC, they said.

According to a blueprint prepared by the Railway Board to hand over the two trains to the railways' tourism and catering arm for a period of three years as a pilot project, no concessions, privileges or duty passes will be allowed on these trains. The railways also said on-board ticket checking will not be done by the railway staff on IRCTC trains.

However, it said the trains will be uniquely numbered and operated by the railways' operating staff -- loco, pilots, guards and station masters. The services of these two trains will be at par with Shatabdi Express trains and will be given a similar priority, the sources said. Bringing in private train operators to provide world-class passenger service was a proposal mooted by the railways in its 100-day plan. Sources said handing over the two Tejas Express trains to IRCTC was a first step towards that.