A parliamentary committee has raised objections to Indian Railways' practice of collecting full fares from RAC (reservation against cancellation) ticket holders, noting that these travellers often do not receive confirmed berths.
The Public Accounts Committee, in a report titled “Punctuality and Travel Time in Train Operations in Indian Railways”, presented to Parliament on Wednesday, said it was unfair to levy full fares on RAC passengers who are not allocated full berths even after the final chart is prepared.
The committee called on the Ministry of Railways to ensure partial fare refunds for passengers who are billed the complete ticket price yet are compelled to travel under RAC arrangements without a confirmed berth.
Current regulations require RAC passengers to pay the entire fare when booking, even though those who remain on RAC status after chart finalisation are made to share a single berth despite having paid in full.
The committee recommended that Indian Railways move towards partial refunds for passengers affected by RAC-related issues and report back to Parliament on the measures taken.
It also flagged inconsistencies in the classification of Superfast trains, noting that speed norms set in May 2007 require averages of 55 kmph on broad gauge and 45 kmph on metre gauge.
An audit reviewed by the committee found the 55 kmph speed norm to be unduly low and highlighted that the classification rules for Superfast trains have not been updated for nearly two decades. The report noted that 123 out of 478 such trains fail to meet even the existing speed requirement.
In its reply, the Railway Ministry told the committee that an internal review found 47 of the 123 trains now run at average speeds exceeding 55 kmph. It said the remaining services had slowed due to extra halts added after they began regular operations.
Rejecting the explanation, the panel said the continued classification of underperforming services as Superfast pointed to lax compliance with established railway norms.
“The committee are constrained to conclude that the classification of trains as Superfast was primarily to levy higher charges,” the panel said, noting that trains should have been reclassified and fares reduced when they no longer met speed norms.
The committee said the 55 kmph speed benchmark was “conservative and anachronistic,” arguing that it falls well short of international norms at a time when countries such as China and Japan run trains at far higher speeds.
The Public Accounts Committee urged the Railway Ministry to overhaul the criteria used to define Superfast trains, urging a shift towards average speeds approaching 100 kmph and an assessment of whether such performance can be maintained end-to-end by 2030.
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