Passengers at the Ludhiana railway station hailed Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement of running 400 more Vande Bharat trains across the country by 2025.
The finance minister had made the announcement while presenting the 2022 Union railway budget in the Parliament on Tuesday.
Appreciating the move, Akshay Sharma, a passenger, said that long journeys will become more comfortable and joyful. “Vande Bharat has the kind of infrastructure, ambience and cleanliness that airplanes offer. Now that the government is planning on bringing 400 more Vande Bharat trains, the travelling experience for the passengers will improve multifold,” said Sharma.
Echoing his views, another passenger Sandeep Aggarwal said the decision will uplift the overall standard of railways in the country.
A few passengers, however, said the government should work on reducing the fare of Vande Bharat trains.
“Though the train offers the best travelling experience, its fare is a bit on the higher end. The government should charge the same amount as the Shatabdi.
A ticket for travel from Ludhiana to Delhi on Vande Bharat Express costs between ₹700 to ₹1,000, depending on whether the passenger opts for a chair car or executive class travel. A Shatabdi tickets costs a passengers somewhere between ₹650 to ₹850.
The finance minister also announced outlay for improving the connectivity and
{{/usCountry}}The finance minister also announced outlay for improving the connectivity and
{{/usCountry}}electrification of railways under public-private partnership (PPP) model.
A senior official at the station said that railways can only generate revenue with more involvement of the private players in this sector.
“Private players invest more in goods trains as the profit margin is higher than investing in the passenger trains,” revealed the officer.