The Railways may introduce the ‘Premium Tatkal’ scheme across all trains in the near future with the move under consideration, reported news agency PTI. The scheme reserves a few seats on the train under the ‘Premium Tatkal’ quota which can be booked on dynamic fare pricing.
The quota provides convenience to travellers who book train tickets at the last minute. Passengers have to pay a little extra to book tickets under the ‘Premium Tatkal’ quota. The fare under the scheme includes the basic train fare and additional Tatkal charges.
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Currently, the Premium Tatkal option of booking is available for about 80 trains. A move to enforce the quota across all trains will help Railways generate more revenue which will help it balance out the cost burden of fare concessions.
In the year 2020-21, the Railways earned over Rs 500 crore from Tatkal and Premium Tatkal bookings.
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Meanwhile, the Railways may also restore fare concessions for senior citizens which were withdrawn back in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The senior citizen subsidy may, however, return with changes in criteria which includes an extension in the eligible age to 70 years from the earlier 58 years for women and 60 years for women. Furthermore, sources revealed to the news agency that the senior citizen concession is likely to be restored only for non-AC classes of General and Sleeper class tickets.
