Railway's platform ticket price hike fails to yield desired result

Vijayawada: The locals from Vijayawada have come up with a full proof plan to outsmart the railway department’s decision to increase the platform ticket price.

It all started when the railway department released a notification on September 28 stating an increase in the platform ticket price to regulate the crowd in Vijayawada railway station during the Dasara festive season.

As per the notification, which came into effect from September 29 to October 10, the rates were increased from Rs 10 to Rs 30. However, baffling the department, instead of buying a passenger ticket, locals are now buying Guntur passenger train ticket which is just for Rs 10.

The idea was first mooted on social media causing a huge surge in Guntur-bound ticket purchases. A social media post in Telugu reads: “Let’s give the railway officials a shock for increasing the platform ticket to Rs 30. You can purchase a passenger train ticket for a nearby station worth Rs 10 instead of the platform ticket. Let’s show them that Telugus are clever.”

This post made rounds across WhatsApp and Twitter and went viral soon.

Eventually, officials noticed that there the abnormal increase in the number of Guntur passenger train tickets at Vijayawada railway station booking counter. The number of passenger tickets to Guntur is making more sales than regular platform tickets. Another advantage is that the platform ticket gives you access to the station premises for a period of two hours while the Rs 10 passenger train ticket lets you stay in for 24 hours.

Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM) G Sumana urged the public to cooperate with the railways to ensure safety and security of passengers. “The amount of money that the railways will make by selling platform tickets for Rs 30 is very less and the move isn’t done to make more profits but rather to regulate crowds in the station,” Sumana stated.