The railways is all set to come up with a revised flexi-fare scheme next month to bring in some relief for passengers, who, in some sectors pay as much as airfare for the premium trains, sources said.
The ministry is also planning to suspend the scheme temporarily, as an experiment during lean months for some trains as they occupancy has fallen to as low as 30 percent, said the persons quoted above.
Another option being considered is revising the scheme as per a formula used in the Humsafar trains in which the first 50 percent berths will be sold at a 15 percent premium to the A/C-3 tier mail and express train tickets.
The slab will go up with every 10 percent of the berth sold thereafter.
Similarly, the government is also mulling options to bring in special discounts under the scheme in less busy routes.
The final shape for such a move will be announced by next week, an official said as its removal would also lead to refunds for advance bookings.
Recently, a CAG report had come down hard on the railways for the flexi-fare prices and it stated a comparison with airfare for 13 sectors showed that travelling in plane was cheaper than in train for many routes.
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