Tejas travellers to get partial refund if train is delayed
In a first-of-its-kind move, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has announced it will partially refund money to passengers if the Tejas Express gets delayed.
Besides, it is offering a complimentary travel insurance coverage worth ~25 lakh. The insurance will also include a coverage of ~1,00,000 against household theft and robbery during the travel period.
Touted as a trial run for ‘private train operations’ in India, the Tejas will start running between New Delhi and Lucknow from Friday. Passengers will be getting compensation of ~100 if the train gets delayed by one hour and ~250 if the delay is more than two hours. Punctuality level of the Indian Railways was at 73 per cent during the first half of this financial year. Though this is an improvement from 66 per cent in 2018-19, it happened after data loggers were introduced at 362 locations last year.
The refund may either happen through the IRCTC e-wallet or as a reduction on the next train ticket booking. Tejas Express is considered a step towards running private trains in India, with improved facilities for passengers.
According to the the railways, the Tejas trains are capable of clocking 200 kilometres per hour (kmph), though none of the trains are allowed to touch the maximum speed on the existing tracks. The additional features include automatic entrance plug type door and chairs with imported fabric. The passengers will also be having a personalised infotainment system, Gps-based LED destination board and luggage racks with reading lights aligned with seating.
For passenger safety, the train will also be providing close circuit cameras, fire and smoke detection system and a fire suppression system in power cars. The train will also have vinyl wrapped exterior and energy efficient LED lights, among others.