Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday stated that the occupancy rate of Vande Bharat trains is 98%, refuting a statement made by the Kerala Congress that suggested it is 50%.
Vaishnaw in a tweet said, “It’s time to prick the bubble of Congress lies. Occupancy of Vande Bharat trains on 7th May is 98%. Occupancy in FY 2024-25 is 103%. Does Congress want Vande Bharat to stop?”
The Kerala Congress said that the excessive focus on Vande Bharat is the real issue. “Vande Bharats are good when a lot of our population can afford it. For that, economic growth is really important. This Govt has been a disaster on that front and hence you see these expensive trains running empty,” it said.
At present, the Indian Railways operate 102 services of the Vande Bharat trains across the country. Railway officials say that the popularity of Vande Bharat trains can be gauged from the fact that till March 31 this year, more than two crore 15 lakh people have travelled by it.
Kerala Congress says….
Contrarily, the Kerala Congress on Wednesday said that they analysed railways’ booking data from the website of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to show low occupancy. “We’ve decided to prick the ‘Vande Bharat’ bubble. Analysis of IRCTC booking data reveals that over 50% of Vande Bharat runs either operate with empty or partially filled seats,” it posted on X.
The Kerala Congress claimed that it obtained its data, which only covers the general category and leaves out Tatkal tickets, from the IRCTC website mere hours before train departures. “Despite the holiday season prompting increased travel among families nationwide, bookings for Vande Bharat remain surprisingly low,” it said.
It further added that the data highlights a concerning trend regarding economic disparity as it highlighted certain train routes to claim that while Vande Bharat seats are vacant, other trains have waiting lists. “Affluent regions demonstrate a higher ability to afford Vande Bharat, while economically disadvantaged areas struggle to access these costly services,” it said.
In another X post, Kerala Congress wrote, “In the Mumbai-Solapur (row-4) Vande Bharat, 277 seats are vacant, but almost all other trains are in the Waiting List. This means there is a huge demand for trains, but not this expensive one.” Comparing the fare of Vande Bharat and Garib Rath for a family trip between Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad, it claimed that opting for Vande Bharat would incur Rs 13,760 while Garib Rath would cost Rs 6,160. “When a Garib Rath offers tickets at Rs 770, the exorbitant Rs 1,720 fare of Vande Bharat becomes prohibitive for ordinary travellers,” it added.
(with PTI inputs)