COIMBATORE: Next time you book a railway ticket, don’t worry too much about being in the waiting list: you are likely to fly to the destination at the cheapest rate the same day, thanks to an initiative of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC).
IRCTC has tied up with GoAir and SpiceJet to allow waitlisted passengers to fly on the same route at a competitive rate. The facility will be available to AC class passengers if the routes are also served by the airlines.
“Air tickets will be made available to waitlisted train passengers at a cheaper rate than the normal fare. For instance, the average Coimbatore-Chennai airfare is Rs 4,000, but through the ICRTC facility, it will be less than Rs 2,000,“ said an ICRTC official who did not want to be named. “The fares, which are not fixed, will be mailed to the passengers as given by the airlines. Once they get the mail, the train ticket can be cancelled and a seat booked on the flight through air.irctc.co.in. The facility will be limited to the day for which the train ticket was booked and the next day,” he added.
IRCTC Regional Director V Sriram said the facility was already fully operational in the western region of the country.
Passengers from Tamil Nadu have also started benefiting by it. “A few days back I booked a first class AC train ticket from Coimbatore to Chennai for Rs 2,100. I was in the waiting list. The IRCTC later upgraded my ticket to a flight for just Rs 1,800 and I was reimbursed Rs 300,” said Mohan Sankar, president, Railway Passengers Association, Coimbatore.
This initiative will greatly benefit people in all walks of life, he added.
Many passengers, as well as Railway officials, also welcomed the move. It will be of great benefit to passengers, they said.
Salem Divisional Railway Manager Shubhranshu described it as a good initiative.