Railway may do away with concessional travel in AC-1

New Delhi: Travelling AC 1st class on trains on concessional tickets may become a thing of past, with the public transporter starting a review of the facility extended to various people, including senior citizens, patients and sportspersons.

It is also considering asking the ministries with which the travellers are associated to bear the cost of such travel.

"Currently, we are reviewing the entire list of concessions applicable for various categories of people in order to rationalise the system," said a senior Railway Ministry official involved in the exercise.

Extending concessional travel facility to various categories of beneficiaries costs the railways about Rs 1400 crore a year.

The official said there was no justification for providing concession in AC 1st Class.

"Those eligible to get concessions are welcome to avail the facilities, but why for the First Class AC?"

The official also said there is a move to ask other ministries to bear the concession burden. "If the beneficiary is a sportsperson, Sports Ministry should bear the cost.

Similarly, Defence Ministry should pick up the cost of Defence personnel getting concessions."

Senior citizens constitute about 80 per cent of the beneficiaries and the railways recently amended the rules to prevent misuse of concessional facilies meant for them.

With instances of people declaring incorrect age to avail of the benefit coming to light, the Railway Board has ordered that every such passenger be treated as travelling without ticket and penalised accordingly.