Rail vs Air travel: Chasm remains

Even as the government has bit the bullet and raised railway fares across the board — by Rs 100-300 on long-haul routes — the lowest airfares for these routes remain at least twice as much. Even for short-haul routes, airfares are seven to eight times higher than rail fares. Besides, the static nature of rail fares, as opposed to dynamic airfares (higher if a ticket is booked closer to the date of journey), keeps the railways’ status of an attractive travel option intact. However, airlines’ role in significantly reducing the travel time between two destinations cannot be undermined(Click on graphics)