The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has advised the Indian Railways to refund a part of the fare to passengers traveling on RAC tickets. The committee presented its report in the Lok Sabha regarding this issue. It stated that charging the full ticket price is not fair when passengers do not get a full berth to sleep and have to share it with someone else. The report has asked the railways to review this practice immediately.
Why RAC passengers might get a refund?
The report highlighted that passengers pay the complete fare at the time of booking. However, if the ticket remains in RAC status after the chart is prepared, they only get sitting space or half a berth to sleep. The committee said that taking full money for half the facility is unjustified. They have asked the Railway Ministry to create a mechanism to return partial fare to such customers who travel without a confirmed full berth.
Questions raised on Superfast Train charges
The committee also checked the performance of superfast trains. It found that many trains charge a superfast levy but run slower than the required speed of 55 km/h. Data showed that 123 out of 478 superfast trains were running below this speed limit. The panel suggested that if a train runs slower than the limit, its superfast status should be removed and the extra charge should not be taken from the public.
Future targets for train speed and punctuality
- The committee wants the average speed of superfast trains to increase to 100 km/h by 2030.
- It noted that the current speed standards set in 2007 are now outdated.
- The report advised Railways to focus on the punctuality of existing trains rather than just introducing new ones.
- It was observed that adding new trains often causes delays for the trains already running on the network.