In a first for Indian Railways, Tejas Express to compensate passengers for delays

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In a first for the Indian Railways, the Tejas Express will give compensation to the passengers in case the train gets delayed or is running late. In case the train is late by more than an hour, a compensation of Rs 100 will be given to each of the passengers and in case the train gets delayed for more than two hours, Rs 250 will be compensated to each of the passengers.

The country’s first private player-operated train will be run by the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). It will ply between Delhi-Lucknow and Lucknow-Delhi routes from October 4 when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will flag off the train from Lucknow.

In addition to the compensation, IRCTC will provide Rs 25 lakh travel insurance to each of the Tejas Express passengers without any additional charges. The IRCTC said that the Tejas Express passengers who want to claim the travel insurance amount will have to follow several steps to avail it. The claim can be filed in three ways--with the insurance company in the link which has been provided online; lodging at the insurance company's toll-free number and through registered post at the insurance company's address.

Following the submission of the required documents, the insurance company will settle the claim within two to three days. The IRCTC added that the forms shall be made online soon.

After integration the details like the name, policy number, bank details, PNR etc. shall be asked and claims will be dealt online. As the issuance of policy numbers will be delayed for the current reservation and on train bookings and a claim can be processed only after issuance of a policy, it may take three to four days after the date of journey to process such claims.

It will be the first train in India that will be handed over to private players through the bidding process in the coming months. For now, it will be operated by the IRCTC.

The booking of the tickets has already started. The fare of the train from Delhi to Lucknow for AC Chair Car is Rs 1,280 (Base fare Rs 895 + GST Rs 45 + Catering charge Rs 340) and that for the Executive Chair Car is Rs 2,450 (Base fare Rs 1,966 + GST Rs 99 + Catering charge Rs 385). The Delhi to Kanpur fare for AC Chair Car is Rs 1,155 (Base fare Rs 776 + GST Rs 39 + Catering charge Rs 340) and the Executive Chair Car is Rs 2,155 (Base fare Rs 1,685 + GST Rs 85 + Catering charge Rs 385).

The IRCTC has fixed the Lucknow to Delhi fare price for AC Chair Car at Rs 1,125 (Base fare Rs 895 + GST Rs 45 + Catering charge Rs 185) and the Executive Chair Car at Rs 2,310 (Base fare Rs 1,966 + GST Rs 99 + Catering charge Rs 245).

The price of the ticket for the Lucknow to Kanpur fare for AC Chair Car is Rs 320 (Base fare Rs 285 + GST Rs 15 + Catering charge Rs 20) and the Executive Chair Car is Rs 630 (Base fare Rs 571 + GST Rs 29 + Catering charge Rs 30).

The Lucknow to Ghaziabad ticket price has been fixed for AC Chair Car at Rs 1,125 (Base fare Rs 895 + GST Rs 45 + Catering charge Rs 185) and the Executive Chair Car at Rs 2,310 (Base fare Rs 1,966 + GST Rs 99 + Catering charge Rs 245).

The fare of these trains has been based on the dynamic pricing system.

Several new features are set to be introduced with these trains and the IRCTC has shared details about what’s in offing. 

Earlier, sources had told Zee News that there might be provisions such as picking up and dropping off luggage from homes of passengers. Apart from this, passengers travelling in business or executive class might also be able to avail special lounge facilities at the railway stations.

The sources had further said that facilities such as hotel booking, flight booking, taxi/cab booking and porters can be availed by Tejas Express passengers through the online portal. One might have to pay some additional amount to avail these facilities, but it would certainly ease the travel. A high-class catering service is also likely to be provided onboard Tejas Express trains. Corn-flakes, fruit salads etc are likely to be served for breakfast.

The sources added that similar to airlines, there might also be train hostesses in these trains. Special focus is also likely to be given to onboard entertainment for the passengers. The Indian Railways has been taking a slew of measures to redefine train travel in the country with the participation of private players.