IRCTC to run 2 major trains

New Delhi : As a part of its move to hand over certain trains to private players, the railways has decided that IRCTC will run the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central Tejas Express and the Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express as test cases, sources said on Tuesday.

The railways has given IRCTC the "flexibility" to decide on the passenger fare on these trains, they said. According to a blueprint prepared by the Railway Board to hand over the two trains to the railways' tourism and catering arm for a period of three years as a pilot project, no concessions, privileges or duty passes will be allowed on these trains.

The railways also said on-board ticket checking on IRCTC trains will not be done by the railway staff. However, it said the trains will be uniquely numbered and operated by the railways' operating staff -- loco, pilots, guards and station masters.

The services of these two trains will be at par with the Shatabdi Express trains and given a similar priority, the sources said. Bringing in private train operators to provide world-class passenger service was a proposal mooted by the railways in its 100-day plan.

Sources said handing over the two Tejas Express trains to IRCTC was a first step towards that. IRCTC will have the rights for advertisements inside and outside the coaches, including branding of the trains.

It can also make modifications inside the rake without affecting its structural safety. IRCTC will be allowed to use the railways' web portal for ticketing for a year and the revenue accounts of these two trains would be maintained separately, the sources said.