Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau
An Indian Railways ticket costing more than ₹10,000 has left the internet stunned. Booking a premium tatkal ticket on the SMVB Howrah Express between Bengaluru and Kolkata on August 9 would have set the traveller back by ₹10,100 – as evidenced by a Reddit post that is going viral online.
A Reddit user shared a screenshot of the prohibitively expensive ticket and wondered who was booking such journeys. The Reddit user said tickets on that route normally cost around ₹2,900.
Honestly, I don’t understand who’d be willing to pay 10k+ for a 2A ticket in an ordinary superfast train between two well-connected metro cities when a regular 2A ticket is priced at 2.9k,” the user wrote.
IRCTC had introduced the premium tatkal category which follows dynamic pricing. Unlike tatkal, where ticket prices are fixed, ticket prices in premium tatkal increase with demand.
Reddit users in the comments section were largely critical of the dynamic pricing feature.
“That’s premium tatkal for you. Honestly I feel it is useless, either put these seats under tatkal or general quota. Such high tatkal charges and dynamic charges, doesn’t make sense,” wrote one Reddit user, also pointing out that “so many quotas lead to very less number of seats available under general booking quota.”
“One might as well travel without ticket in 2nd AC and pay fine and it would be less than that 10k,” another reasoned.
Several people asked why a person would book such an expensive Railways ticket when flights are available for less. “There are folks who cannot fly due to medical reasons. There are also folks who cannot drive as well. I know this because I am related to a few of them. They are being squeezed due to these new policies,” a person wrote.
