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Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Exp becomes India’s first privately branded train
The Tejas Express is India's first branded passenger train, launched by IRCTC with Coca-Cola's Sprite, aiming to generate non-fare revenue without fare hikes.
The Lucknow-New Delhi Tejas Express has become India’s first commercially branded passenger train marking a new experiment by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Ltd to tap non-fare revenue from premium railway services.
The train, named and to be announced as ‘Sprite Tejas Express’, was flagged off from Lucknow on Friday. Six of its coaches were wrapped and branded under a six-month commercial arrangement beginning August 21. The company paid approximately ₹91 lakh for the wrapping and branding exercise. The branding covers train numbers 82501/82502.
Earlier, under a partnership, the IRCTC gave its nod to a proposal from M/s Sprite, a unit of Coca-Cola India, to prefix the train’s name with ‘Sprite’.
According to IRCTC, the initiative is part of efforts to develop non-fare revenue streams without increasing passenger fares. Ajit Sinha, chief regional manager, IRCTC, said commercial branding of trains, stations and other railway assets could provide additional revenue while allowing the railway system to monetise its high-visibility assets.
The initiative goes beyond putting advertisements on the exterior of coaches. The branding will also be visible inside the coaches on passenger-use material.
The arrangement, however, does not mean that the Tejas Express or railway infrastructure has been privatised. The train will continue to operate under the existing IRCTC framework, while the private company has essentially purchased commercial visibility associated with the service.
The branding also extends to items used during onboard catering. Reusable plastic serving trays and other passenger-use articles will carry the branding, along with linen and related material. Using reusable trays, instead of introducing additional single-use plastic items, is expected to keep the branding visible through repeated use while limiting plastic waste generated during the service.
“The initiative is being closely watched as a possible model for future commercialisation of railway assets. If the experiment proves viable, IRCTC could explore similar collaborations with other companies for branding trains and other passenger-facing railway assets,” said Ajit Sinha.
