'0.02% Of Total...': BJP Explains Math Behind Rs 9500 Suvidha Train Fare To Mamata

‘0.02% of total…’: bjp explains math behind rs 9500 suvidha train fare to mamata

West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday explained the mathematics behind train fares in India to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Trinamool Congress chief had, in a post on X, questioned why the rail fares were increasing by the day, especially targeting the premium Suvidha trains.

“Sad to find that railway passenger fares are steeply increasing and even in Suvidha trains the fares are sometimes higher than air fares!!” Mamata tweeted. “Where will common people go in case of emergencies?!”

She called for fare hikes to be reduced and attention given to safety and security issues, adding, “During my tenure as Railways Minister, I had introduced anti-collision devices and other anti-accident measures! Why are they not being used to avert the increasing number of train accidents, while anti-people fare regime continues unchecked?!”

Mamata had posted the tweet on Sunday, November 19.

The response from the BJP came on Tuesday, with the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu, explaining to Mamata why the Suvidha train fares were higher.

“Here’s the truth behind this ₹ 9500/- ticket,” Suvendu began.

“The concept of Dynamic fare is introduced by Railways in Suvidha Express only. The price of the ticket is inversely proportional to the number of seats available. As the number of seats available decrease, the price of ticket increases. These trains are run on the busiest routes, ONLY TWICE A WEEK, for convenience of passengers, who need to travel urgently & want a confirmed ticket at ALL COSTS. A total of 10,000+ trains run on the Indian Railways network every day. Out of these 10,000+ trains, there are ONLY 2 Suvidha Express trains, ONLY 2. So 0.02% of the total trains, are Suvidha Express trains, ZERO POINT ZERO TWO %. This Suvidha Express train has got only 8 halts and it’s a superfast premium train,” Suvendu wrote on X, explaining the rationale behind the high rates.

He also urged Mamata to compare the prices of normal trains with that of Suvidha trains, saying “There are two trains on the same date, one is a Suvidha Express train & the other one is a normal train. Compare the prices of both.”