For travelling between New Delhi and Varanasi by Train 18, rechristened as Vande Bharat Express -- scheduled to make its maiden run on February 15 -- the passengers will have to shell out 40-50 per cent higher fare than they do for Shatabdi Express, a senior Railway Ministry officials said on Monday.
A New Delhi-Varanasi journey by the indigenously built high-speed train would cost Rs 3,520 and Rs 1,850 for Executive Class (EC) and Chair Car (CC), respectively.
The Ministry official requesting anonymity said: "The passengers travelling in the CC from New Delhi to Varanasi, covering a distance of 776 km, will have to shell out Rs 1,850, while for the same distance in the EC, they will have to pay Rs 3,520, including the catering charges."
The official, however, said that on the train's return journey, fare from Varanasi to New Delhi for the CC will be Rs 1,795 and for the EC ticket, it would cost Rs 3,470.
He said that CC fares are about 1.5 times the base price of Shatabdi Express trains covering the same distance, while the fares of EC are 1.4 times that of the base fare of First Class air-conditioned seating.
The fare for Delhi-Kanpur journey by Vande Bharat Express has been fixed at Rs 1,150 for CC and Rs 2,245 for EC, and between Delhi and Prayagraj, the fares would be Rs 1,480 and Rs 2,935, respectively.
He pointed out that between Kanpur and Prayagraj, the price for CC would be Rs 630 and for EC Rs 1,245.
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A journey between Kanpur and Varanasi in CC would cost Rs 1,065 and in EC Rs 1,925.
Passengers travelling from New Delhi to Varanasi in EC will be charged Rs 399 for morning tea, breakfast and lunch, while those opting for CC would need to pay Rs 344 for the same.
Similarly, the passengers travelling from New Delhi to Kanpur and Prayagraj will have to pay Rs 155 and Rs 122 for EC and CC, respectively.
From Varanasi to New Delhi, the passengers will be charged Rs 349 and Rs 288 in the EC and CC, respectively. They will be served evening tea with snacks and dinner.
The much-awaited indegenously built engineless Vande Bharat Express will make its commercial debut on February 15 between New Delhi and Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to the railway officials, Modi will flag off the the new train at 10 a.m on February 15 from New Delhi Railway Station.
Train 18 recently became India's fastest train by hitting a speed of over 180 kmph during a trial run.
It would soon start replacing the Shatabdi Express trains and run between Delhi and Varanasi.
--IANS
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