TRAIN TIMINGS CHANGED

Don’t go by the timings printed on your train reservation tickets as the Indian Railways have changed timings of almost 500 trains and tweaked the fares in its latest timetable that came into effect from November 1.

A new concept of different fares during peak and lean seasons is sought to be quietly injected in the new timetable. The lean seasons are February 1 to March 31 and August 1 to 31 when there is less demand for seats and berths. In contrast, the peak season is from April 1 to July 31 and again from September 1 to January 31.

Better check up with the railway inquiry for timings of the trains or peep into the Railway Ministry’s website to check at “Trains at a Glance (November 2017 to June 2018.” it can be accessed at: <www.indianrailways.gov. in/railwayboard/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,1,304,36 6,537>.

“Trains at a Glance” is also available at the railway stations as a priced publication at Rs 50, though it is freely available on the website, a ministry spokesman said.

He said the Railways is geared up to alert changes to all those who have booked the tickets through SMS, though it is a gigantic task in which all may not get the message on time. Its handicap is that it could not publicise the new time table because of the Election Commission barring it citing the model of conduct in force in the poll-bound Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. The booklet has been, however, published and on sale as permitted by the EC while barring it from giving publicity even to the release of the time table in a booklet form.

Timings of some trains have been advanced while timings of many trains have been delayed while speeding up timings of the most trains and reducing the halt time of various trains at the stations.